Science: No Free Lunch

A new look at solar energy

Sun, wind and water have all been hailed as cheap, renewable and benign alternatives to oil, coal and nuclear plants. Now comes a warning from a bastion of environmentalism, the National Audubon Society, that even ecologically favored, so-called solar sources of energy can have serious drawbacks.

In a report issued by the society, Physicist Larry Medsker of the New Jersey Institute of Technology surveys nine renewable energy sources and finds that all have potentially unwelcome, occasionally even hazardous, side effects. The burning of wood can deplete forests and increase air pollution. Building towers to harness wind may disrupt wildlife habitats and the migratory flights of birds. Fires in homes with photovoltaic cells can result in the release of noxious fumes. And direct use of the sun could add to urban sprawl since collection devices are not as efficient in high-rise apartments as they are in small houses.

As Russell Peterson, Audubon Society president, sums it up, "Even with solar energy, there's no such thing as a free lunch."