How the ‘Green Energy Transition’ is Poisoning the Environment
Millions of tons of highly toxic special waste await us thanks to the “energy transition.” Whether it’s rotor blades from wind power plants or the solar panels themselves, these have little to do with “green” and “environmentally friendly.”
For years, we’ve been treated to the fairy tale of clean, green energy. The wind and solar energy industries were supposed to save the planet. But the reality, which the climate lobby prefers to conceal, is quite different: gigantic mountains of wind turbine waste and toxic solar panels are piling up in the US.
According to a recent report , the supposed salvation of the world has turned out to be a massive environmental disaster, writes
Heinz Steiner .
Texas, better known as an oil giant, has become a forerunner of the wind energy frenzy in recent years. More than 19,000 wind turbines now mar the landscape. The epicenter of this green nightmare: Sweetwater, a small town that calls itself the “wind turbine capital of Texas.” But now the other side of the coin is coming to light. Citizens are waking up and realizing: nothing is “clean” here anymore. It’s simply filthy.
In February, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton erupted in anger. He sued a recycling company for illegally dumping thousands of discarded rotor blades in the wild. The company was supposed to dismantle and recycle the facilities, but instead left more than 3,000 enormous rotor blades to decompose in Sweetwater. Some of this waste, recyclable only at great expense, has been there since 2017.
Paxton summarized it in a statement: “The fact that the radical left labels something ‘green industry’ doesn’t give any company the right to destroy the Texas landscape, violate our laws, and leave Texans to suffer the negative consequences.” The city of Sweetwater is also now defending itself with criminal charges against the waste polluters. They no longer want to be used as a dumping ground for the failed energy transition.
And Texas is no exception. In quiet Grand Meadow, Minnesota, the 1,100 residents had to live with 111 enormous, rotting fiberglass rotor blades on their doorstep for four years. An eyesore that attracted wildlife like stray cats and foxes and became a deadly trap for playing children. Only after enormous pressure from local residents and an order from authorities did the green energy giant NextEra Energy consider cleaning up its waste in October 2024.
But that’s not all, because this waste is almost impossible to recycle! The enormous blades are made of fiberglass, carbon fiber, and epoxy resin. The result is gigantic “wind turbine graveyards.” The discarded monster propellers are simply chopped up and buried in enormous pits. Landscapes in Wyoming, Iowa, and South Dakota are becoming final repositories for this “green” special waste. The figures are shocking: by 2050, a staggering 133 million tons of this material could be collected. Already, up to 9,000 blades are discarded annually in the US—and that trend is increasing dramatically.
Anyone who thinks everything will be better with solar energy is completely mistaken. Here too, a gigantic avalanche of waste is heading our way. The American environmental agency (EPA) warns of a million tons of solar waste by 2030, in the United States alone. Germany, which despite its limited geographical location is expected to become the European champion in solar energy, is in no better shape.
But this waste isn’t entirely harmless: if the panels end up in landfills, highly toxic substances like lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals threaten to seep into the groundwater. This is a ticking time bomb and a huge threat to public health. And all this to produce supposedly “climate-friendly” electricity. That, however, is not environmentally friendly. But who cares about that among the climate fanatics? The most important thing is that they can keep selling people attractive stories about the supposed “saving” of the world.