Solar Farms are Taking Over- “Be Careful What the Climate Change Fear Mongering Will Lull Us Into Accepting”

However, some worry that these changes are not all positive. There are many who say that giant solar farms, specifically in the small nation of Great Britain, will actually cause more harm than they will good.

The sun is both a renewable and inexhaustible energy source, so many say solar panels are as well. Solar energy is completely clean, meaning that it releases no carbon emissions into the air, and very little maintenance is required once the panels have been built.

Additionally, when it’s cloudy, raining, snowing, or at night, no solar energy can be collected for use. Not to mention the fact that creating these panels requires substantial minerals from the earth, such as copper and silicon, that are not in abundance everywhere. Last but certainly not least, miles of solar panels are necessary to power even the smallest of towns.

While many UK residents and government officials are fighting to turn hundreds of miles of the countryside into solar farms, others argue that too many of the downsides apply specifically to this small, wet farming nation.

The land that it does have is being used by farmers for both produce and livestock. Britain produces more wheat than any other country on Earth, with the exception of New Zealand, as well as providing its own residents with the fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat that they need.

However, stopping or even reducing farming in the United Kingdom would be wildly detrimental to its economy. Not only would thousands of farmers lose their businesses, but imported food would also be far more expensive for the consumer.

And the very simple reason is that there is nowhere near enough sun throughout the day and especially throughout the year to make their solar farms viable. On average, there are only 1-2 kilowatt-hours per day per square mile in the UK that are considered substantially strong enough to create solar energy.

It’s also important to understand that it’s irrational to think any country would rely entirely on solar energy; there would always have to be gas electricity prepared as a backup.
In fact, some say that the UK would use almost exactly as much gas as it does now, even after covering the majority of the country with solar panels.

China is home to many of the mines needed to build the enormous number of solar panels Britain would need to supply its residents with energy. At any point in time, China could refuse to supply the UK with what it needs and essentially shut down the entire energy source.

Since building miles-long solar farms would remove real farms, use almost exactly as much gas, and require extensive mining, many wonder if environmentalists who support this plan haven’t somehow lost touch with reality. As Dr. John Constable of the Renewable Energy Foundation explained, “The fact that some green campaigners would rather have low-grade electricity than high-quality British farm produce shows how bizarrely irrational environmentalism has become.”

She explained, “Solar panels should be on roofs, along motorways, or industrial sites. Be careful what the climate change fear mongering will lull us into accepting.”

Whether or not solar energy is the future of our planet remains to be seen. However, it’s hard to ignore the many deficits it comes with, especially for a nation as small and rainy as Britain.