Shattered Green Dreams

If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Wind and solar are touted as the clean and green solutions to our energy needs.

Unfortunately, that’s just not true.

Our report, Shattered Green Dreams, shows that the environmental costs of wind, solar, and battery storage are routinely underestimated in public policy discussions, while the benefits of conventional energy sources such as nuclear, natural gas, oil, and coal are increasingly ignored.

Policymakers need to adopt a more balanced, evidence-based approach to energy planning — one that fully weighs the costs and benefits of all energy sources.

Because every form of energy impacts the environment… including wind and solar.

FACT: Wind and solar are both low-power energy sources.

They require exponentially more wind and solar farms to promote the same amount of power as nuclear or natural gas.

That means greater material needs, which leads to unparalleled levels of mining, manufacturing, transportation, and construction.

FACT: The land use required is environmentally devastating.

A one-gigawatt nuclear plant takes up about 1.3 sq. miles.

Solar takes up to 75 sq. miles.

And wind takes up to 3,000 sq. miles.

In fact, powering the United States with just wind energy would require more land than two Californias.

FACT: Achieving global net-zero would require more key minerals and materials than the world currently produces.

Meeting global net-zero targets would require massive amounts of materials. That means opening new mines, often in countries with weak environmental standards, dangerous working conditions, and even child labor.

FACT: Wind and solar harm wildlife, too.

Offshore wind disrupts marine ecosystems; whales, which rely on echolocation, suffer from hearing impairment and disturbed migration patterns.

On land, wind turbines kill birds and bats, and solar farms destroy habitats.

FACT: The short lifespans of wind and solar render them completely impractical.

Nuclear and natural gas plants can last 60 to 80 years. Wind turbines and solar panels? Just 20 to 25 years.

FACT: Wind turbines and solar panels aren’t easily recyclable.

Combine the sheer number of units we’d need with their short lifespan, and you get millions of tons of material waste heading straight for landfills.

The truth is, wind and solar aren’t the magical solution we’ve been promised.

In fact, they do more environmental harm than good.

Because if something sounds too good to be true… it probably is.

See more data on the true environmental costs of wind and solar in our report, Shattered Green Dreams, or view the two-page policy briefing version instead.