In response to Ms. Earl’s letter to the editor, I would have been in favor of solar panels until I recently watched the documentary, “Planet of the Humans.” If you have not watched it yet, I highly recommend it. It is available on YouTube for free; if you have Amazon, it’s there, too. Please be forewarned that it is a very scary documentary. There is one spot during the movie that is quite comical. A group attempts to have a concert in Vermont powered solely by solar panels. Well, it was fine until it started to rain. Good thing they had a big diesel generator.
In addition, they show a vast solar panel field and we’re informed that we might be able to power one toaster.
The manufacturing of the solar panels is also very harmful for the planet. It is outrageous to think that it generates air pollution, which includes heavy metal emissions and consumes a lot of energy during the manufacturing of these panels.
As far as how long they last, people who sell them claim that they will last between 20 and 30 years. However, I’ve estimated more in the range of 15 to 20 years.
Finally, when you want to dispose of them, they are now toxic waste. So, where do they go when we’re done with them?
As I said at the start, I thought solar panels were cool; now I’m not so sure.
Scott Moran
