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Originally Posted by codfather
There are some fair points regarding the interviews being old and outdated as well as criticisms in the film regarding the tiny solar plant that can run 10 homes in Lansing or the solar farm in Dagget that is now just a sand pile (it's been replaced with a new solar farm already) but what is really telling is all the stuff not being criticized.
Anyone ripping this film is doing so primarily on the basis that the interviews are old and some of the 'gotcha moments' like the question about what powers Lansing and provides energy to the plug in electric volt (95% coal) are no longer accurate while ignoring the still relevant and still awful stuff such as the extraction of rare earth metals and the toxic pools being dumped onto the desert. Or the fact that biomass generation is insane and the burning of creosote and pcp soaked wood in some of these plants.
This documentary isn't without it's faults but it definitely highlights some issues with renewables that a lot of people either aren't aware of or simply want to ignore and hope others don't notice.
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People are also ripping it for a lack of facts and balance, though to be fair that's Moore's M.O. and it didn't bother me on subjects I agreed with. Clearly there are things that are outright bad with some renewables and others that bear some critical evaluation. The uncritical viewer will walk away with the impression that all renewables are a scam though, and I have friends who have jumped at the opportunity to do that. What's drowned out is the core message (watch some interviews with the filmmakers) that all technologies have downsides, consume more resources, and leave bigger footprints than the earth can sustain. The fact that some renewables might be net positives in that equation is not considered by the film.