4 Terra :: Blog

# 390….

When Green Energy is not so Green.

“While wind power might be clean energy, to achieve this however is not so clean, and it produces extraordinary pollution in China, which manufactures 97% of the world’s rare earth metals that are used in wind turbines. Each large wind turbine contains 300kg of rare earth magnets. There’s also 30kg of rare earths in a Toyota Prius.  This is something the Greensavoid talking about; they don’t mind if another country gets messed up, as long as they can get wind power. 

There are 17 “rare earth metals” which usually occur together and once mined have to be separated. It is used in the manufacture of the most powerful magnets in the world. These in turn are components in such things as hi-fi speakers, hard drives and lasers, but only after the rise of alternative energy solutions has it really come to prominence in hybrid cars and wind turbines. A direct drive permanent-magnet generator would use 4,400lb (2 tons) of neodymium-based permanent magnet material. The wind-turbine industry relies on neodymium, which also has a catastrophic environmental impact, and creates a dilemma for environmentalists who want to see the growth of the industry. We have to recognise the environmental destruction that is being caused while making these wind turbines. ”