Solar power's benefits have been touted as beneficial for the environment, but the toxic waste produced by the renewable energy source is now being questioned, along with the high cost of disposing of it.
While solar farms continue to receive taxpayer subsidies – including in Texas – some are disputing solar's benefits.
An op-ed published in WC Texas News written by Ronnie and Julie Taylor, who oppose a new solar farm in Brown County, pointed out the toxic materials used in the manufacture of the solar panels.
"What to do with solar panels once they’re no longer viable has become a topic of much discussion," they wrote. "What becomes of the lead, cadmium, and other toxic materials used to manufacture these panels?"
In addition, they wrote that in 30 years, the worldwide solar trash estimates are astounding.
"Estimates show that the accumulation of solar trash worldwide will be 78 million metric tons by 2050," the Taylors wrote. "A study shows that disposal is a significant issue as toxic materials leach into the soil when disposed of in a regular landfill. Solar panel disposal in city landfills costs approximately $1 per panel vs. $12 to $25 to recycle. To our knowledge, Intersect Power had not addressed the panel’s disposal at the end of their lives. Will the panels contaminate our Brown County landfill or remain forever abandoned on site due to the high removal cost?"
Another site, Grist.org, questioned what to do with dying solar panels, which are big and bulky. Most countries don't have a plan to deal with the waste. Each year, approximately 6 million metric tons of new solar waste will be generated, Grist.org points out.
Take Japan, for instance, in which the country's solar waste produced from 2016 through 2020 will take 19 years to be recycled, according to the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CCT). With panel waste growing in Japan – from 10,000 tons a year in 2016 to the current 800,000 tons a year – CCT questions what will happen to all that waste and what will be the cost to deal with that?
In addition, CCT reported that solar panels generate 300 times more toxic waste per unit than nuclear power plants do.
Dustin Mulvaney, an environmental studies professor in San Jose State, was noted in a Forbes article and he indicated that solar panel glass often cannot be recycled.
“Approximately 90% of most PV modules are made up of glass,” Mulvaney said. “However, this glass often cannot be recycled as float glass due to impurities. Common problematic impurities in glass include plastics, lead, cadmium and antimony.”
Forbes also cited a study by researchers with the Electric Power Research Institute, who concluded that solar panel “disposal in “regular landfills [is] not recommended in case modules break and toxic materials leak into the soil” and so “disposal is potentially a major issue.”
In addition, the solar panels that many in Europe and the United States purchased from China are creating a toxic environment in rural China, according to Renewable Energy World. Many Chinese factories are manufacturing polysilicon, are not using pollution-control equipment, and are dumping toxic waste into the country's rural areas.
More needs to be done in the U.S. to determine what to do with the solar panels when they are no longer viable.
An article in PV Magazine said solar cannot claim it is a "clean energy source" when it leaves toxic waste in its path, and the U.S. needs a plan to deal with the solar waste. The magazine also reported that it costs $1 per panel to dispose a solar panel in a city landfill vs. $12 to $25 per panel to recycle.
