The
energytransition in its current form, as a grid-scale build out of wind and
solar with the goal to replace oil,
coaland gas, is probably one of the greatest mistakes that humanity has ever made, German-listed commodity company HMS Bergbau Group shareholder Dr
Lars Schernikau said
Schernikau also addressed the underwhelming operational lifetimes of renewable-
energyinfrastructure, citing concerns over their longevity.
“Wind and
solar power plants have a very limited operational lifetime. You have to replace them every few years. How many years? We don’t know. What we do know, is that it doesn’t last 25 years at grid scale,” he said.
Schernikau and other scientists are currently working on an academic study detailing this issue.
He noted that the newest grid-scale
solar panels from China last between 12 to 15 years, a far cry from the 25 to 35 years often projected in net-zero analyses. He clarified that, while certain
solarpanels on residential rooftops might last 25 to 35 years, this longevity did not apply to grid-scale
infrastructure owing to the optimisation of materials for cost-
efficiency.