Health and Safety Concerns of Photovoltaic Solar Panels
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Health and Safety Concerns of Photovoltaic Solar Panels

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  • English
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    • Corporate Creators:
      Good Company
    • Subject/TRT Terms:
    • Resource Type:
      Tech Report
    • Geographical Coverage:
      United States
    • Corporate Publisher:
      Good Company
    • Abstract:
      The generation of electricity from photovoltaic (PV) solar panels is safe and effective. Because PV systems do not burn fossil fuels they do not produce the toxic air or greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional fossil fuel fired generation technologies. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, few power-generating technologies have as little environmental impact as photovoltaic solar panels.1 However, as with all energy sources, there are potential environmental, health and safety hazards associated with the full product life cycle of photovoltaics. Recent news accounts have raised public interest and concerns about those potential hazards.2 A substantial body of research has investigated the life cycle impacts of photovoltaics including raw material production, manufacture, use and disposal. While some potentially hazardous materials are utilized in the life cycle of photovoltaic systems, none present a risk different or greater than the risks found routinely in modern society. The most significant environmental, health and safety hazards are associated with the use of hazardous chemicals in the manufacturing phase of the solar cell. Improper disposal of solar panels at the end of their useful life also presents an environmental, health and safety concern. The extraction of raw material inputs, especially the mining of crystalline silica, can also pose an environmental, health and safety The environmental, health and safety concerns for the life-cycle phase are minimal and limited to rare and infrequent events. With effective regulation, enforcement, and vigilance by manufacturers and operators, any danger to workers, the public and the environment can be minimized. Further, the benefits of photovoltaics tend to far outweigh risks especially when compared to conventional fossil fuel technologies. According to researchers at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, regardless of the specific technology, photovoltaics generate significantly fewer harmful air emissions (at least 89%) per kilowatthour (KWh) than conventional fossil fuel fired technologies.3
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