"Eco-friendly? We're on the brink of death" Growing Opposition Among US Residents Near Power Plant

Discomfort from Solar Heat, Wind Turbine Noise, etc.
Damage to Nearby Farms...Mass Livestock Deaths
Trillions-Dollar Investment Plan Halted by Resident Opposition

Renewable energy facilities such as solar panels and wind turbines in the United States are turning into 'eyesores.' This is due to growing local opposition caused by side effects like waste and noise pollution. The Biden administration's green energy investment policy has also been stalled by resistance from local residents.

The U.S. Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 8th (local time) that President Joe Biden's key pledge, the 'green energy policy,' is not being implemented as originally planned. This is because local residents where energy facilities were to be introduced have turned 'anti-environmental.'

According to data compiled earlier by the U.S. Green Energy Association, after the U.S. Green Energy Act was enacted in the second half of last year, various public institutions across the U.S. established plans to build renewable energy facilities. The confirmed investment amount to date has reached about $1.05 trillion (approximately 1,387 trillion KRW).

A wind power complex in the western United States [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Also, according to investment bank Goldman Sachs, the renewable energy construction budget set by private companies receiving various tax benefits and incentives amounts to $900 billion (approximately 1,190 trillion KRW), and the construction cost for battery facilities to store the generated electricity is close to $100 billion (approximately 132 trillion KRW).

Renewable energy facilities consist of solar panels, ground-based wind turbines, and so on. However, if solar panels are poorly managed, they can generate a large amount of waste, and the noise from the huge wind turbine propellers causes damage to the surrounding area.

WSJ cited the area near Kansas City, located on the border of Missouri and Kansas, as an example. This area was previously used for livestock farming, but its geographical characteristics of abundant sunlight and strong winds attracted renewable energy development companies. Soon after, it was selected as a renewable energy development complex, and solar panels and wind turbines were densely installed.

The problem is that the renewable energy facilities began to cause damage to nearby farms. Due to the heat emitted by the solar panels, the area near the facilities became a wasteland where humans and livestock could not approach. Noise from the propellers caused mass deaths of livestock, and the electric cables connecting the facilities also caused pollution.

As these issues arose, the number of residents voicing opposition to renewable energy facilities gradually increased. Eventually, some local governments in the U.S. Midwest reportedly began to withdraw existing investment plans or declare moratoriums to prevent further installations.

Regarding this, WSJ pointed out, "Green energy facilities are far from sufficient to handle the entire power generation of the United States," and added, "New alternatives such as nuclear power plants, rather than solar or wind power characterized by enormous land use, inefficiency, and unproductivity, need to be prepared."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.