Solar energy’s darker side stirs concern

Everybody loves solar, the shiny superstar of renewable energy.

But scratch the surface of the manufacturing process and the green sheen disappears. Vast amounts of fossil fuels are used to produce and transport panels. Solar cells contain toxic materials. Some components can’t be easily recycled.


That has some environmentalists worried about a new tidal wave of hazardous waste headed for the nation’s landfills when panels eventually wear out. A report to be released today by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition warns that the industry and lawmakers need to set policies now to ensure that a clean technology doesn’t leave a dirty legacy.

“You can’t just call your product green and close your eyes to what’s happening in the supply chain,” said Sheila Davis, executive director of the San Jose nonprofit group that pushes for green practices in the technology sector.

“The solar energy industry is running into some of the same problems . . . we’ve seen in the electronics industry,” whose waste is polluting U.S. landfills and contaminating groundwater with harmful substances such as mercury and chromium, Davis said

LA Times