--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wind and solar power are land-intensive…" description: "\"Wind and solar power are land-intensive, a green sin, but not energy-dense, and affordable only when heavily subsidized. And wind power must be supplem..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/mark-mckinnon-3139_affordable_wind-and-solar-power-are-land-intensive_2167402.png" --- # Wind and solar power are land-intensive, a green sin, but… ![“Wind and solar power are land-intensive, a green sin, but not energy-dense, and affordable only when heavily subsidized. And wind power must be supplemented with hydrocarbons for reliability.” quote by Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/mark-mckinnon-3139_affordable_wind-and-solar-power-are-land-intensive_2167402.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/mark-mckinnon-3139_affordable_wind-and-solar-power-are-land-intensive_2167402.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/mark-mckinnon-3139_affordable_wind-and-solar-power-are-land-intensive_2167402.png) > “Wind and solar power are land-intensive, a green sin, but not energy-dense, and affordable only when heavily subsidized. And wind power must be supplemented with hydrocarbons for reliability.” [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wind and solar are land‑intensive and cheap only with subsidies; they lack density and need backup from fossil fuels for reliability. **In simple terms:** Renewables need land, subsidies, and fossil backup. Key Takeaway Balance renewable growth with reliability planning. Themes energy policy renewables reliability Mood analytical concerned Type policy analytical When to use this quote - national energy planning - investment decisions - infrastructure upgrades Key Concepts land use subsidies energy density grid stability Questions to Reflect On - What policies can improve renewable reliability? - How can we reduce land impact? A Different Perspective Transition may be slower due to technical limits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Reliability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reliability/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Solar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solar/) [Solar power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solar-power/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) [Wind power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind-power/) ## Related quotes > [It's important to understand that oil and renewables do different things. Wind and solar are for power generation, so they don't replace oil. About…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-boone-pickens/it-s-important-to-understand-that-oil-and-renewables-do-different/) [T. 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Rangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-b-rangel/) Browse all 436 Affordable quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Wind and solar power are land-intensive, a green sin, but not energy-dense, and affordable only when heavily subsidized. 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