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Sammy_Roth t1_j7vpl43 wrote

Reply to comment by PeanutSalsa in I’m Sammy Roth, an L.A. Times reporter trying to figure out where to put all the solar and wind farms we'll need to fight climate change. Is farmland the answer? AMA! by losangelestimes

Most certainly -- every energy technology has its downsides. With solar and wind, destruction of wildlife habitat can be a big one. I wrote about that here, in a story about America's largest wind farm, currently being built by a conservative billionaire in Wyoming: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-08-23/wyoming-clean-energy-california.

That said, it's definitely possible to limit the damage. Also wrote here about research looking at the best places to build solar and wind, with the least harm: https://www.latimes.com/environment/newsletter/2022-10-06/solar-and-wind-farms-can-hurt-the-environment-a-new-study-offers-solutions-boiling-point.

Also worth putting into context that the environmental (and human health) damage from fossil fuels is far, far greater than anything from renewable energy. I looked at some of the research on that point here: https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-10-05/huntington-beach-orange-county-oil-spill-fossil-fuel-environmental-health-harms.

Hope this is helpful. Thank you for the question!

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openly_gray t1_j7vtaux wrote

In that context let me ask you if a more aggressive promotion of rooftop solar (both residential and business) could be a possible solution

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Sammy_Roth t1_j7vvga8 wrote

The more rooftop solar gets built, definitely, the fewer land-use conflicts and the less destruction of wildlife habitat. But will also caution that every detailed study I've seen still finds a huge need for large solar and wind farms to meet climate goals, even in very optimistic scenarios for rooftop solar. See, for instance: https://www.latimes.com/environment/newsletter/2021-01-07/how-rooftop-solar-could-save-americans-473-billion-dollars-boiling-point.

Will have more discussion of this very question in the next part of Repowering the West. Feel free to follow along here: https://www.latimes.com/projects/repowering-the-west/.

Thank you for the question!

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Crabby_Monkey t1_j7w8awm wrote

In your opinion, in places like Arizona would it help to require new home builds to automatically include solar and home batteries.

It seems like that would have several benefits.

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