Debunking Renewable Energy
Let's talk about the "renewable" in solar energy, specifically...
It’s not the end of the world, in a figurative way, that solar energy from solar panels isn’t renewable to the extent we might be led to believe.
This is the case with all forms of electricity sources and all other “renewable” sources of energy. Presently, generating electricity is not itself a renewable activity, nor can it be entirely “eco-friendly,” with any of the technologies commercially available.
Currently, all forms of electricity-generating operations require minerals from the underground. Destruction from mining can be mitigated and minimized (See Minding Mines and Living in Circular Awareness), but it can’t be eradicated.
Electricity will — for the present moment — remain unrenewable because it demands finite resources.
To produce solar panels, we must mine. Solar panels are made with glass, EVA, PVF, aluminum, silicon, and copper. EVA and PVF are plastic polymers made with oil. It’s okay —there’s a trade-off, like with everything — but it’s not a renewable one just yet.
