Article content

These days, wind and solar power are constantly depicted as desirable “energy alternatives” to fossil fuels, but many Albertans and Canadians are unaware of their environmental impacts.

Sure, the blanketing of scenic coastlines with skyscraper-size wind turbines are rather obvious, but turbine construction and installation also depends on fossil fuels.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Guest Column: Wind and solar power — the myth of 'green' energy Back to video

There’s the diesel-powered heavy equipment, which clears sites, digs foundations, transports components and assembles them.

The coal or natural-gas-fired kilns that bake the concrete, additional coal to forge steel for foundations and towers, and the hydrocarbon-based fiberglass for their blades.

Solar panels also affect the environment in similar ways, be it extracting resources for their manufacture and transportation, devoting land to their installation, and maintaining, decommissioning and ultimately disposing them.