[enviro-vlc] Feature: Solar Panel Production Generates High Levels of Pollution

[Vern Weitzel]

Subject: 	Feature: Solar Panel Production Generates High Levels of Pollution
Date: 	Sat, 17 Jan 2009 11:23:08 -0800
From: 	Yahoo Group <ashwani.vasishth at gmail.com>
Reply-To: 	envecolnews-owner at yahoogroups.com
To: 	Sustainability Planning News <sustplan at yahoogroups.com>
CC: 	Environmental Ecology News <envecolnews at yahoogroups.com>



http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-fi-notsogreen14-2009jan14,0,1155706.story

*Solar energy's darker side stirs concern
*     Cells contain toxic materials that could end up in landfills. Some
firms are taking steps to help keep the industry's reputation green.

By Marla Dickerson
January 13, 2009

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.

Solar energy supplies less than 1% of the nation's electricity at
present. But the technology is poised for explosive growth. Much of the
world's production is centered in Asia, where Davis said some disturbing
trends were emerging.

China is major producer of polycrystalline silicon, a key component of
solar cells. The Washington Post last year documented how at least one
Chinese producer was dumping a toxic byproduct from that manufacturing
process on nearby farmland. Experts suspect that firms in other
developing countries are taking similar shortcuts.

Silicon isn't the only conductor that can be used to convert sunlight to
electricity. Companies are developing cells using other materials.
Still, virtually all of them utilize hazardous chemicals that pose
potential risks to workers and the environment, according to the
coalition's report.

Davis said developing benign substitutes for some of the most dangerous
materials was essential for the solar industry to be truly sustainable.

Making the panels is just the beginning. Planning needs to begin now on
what to do with millions of these heavy modules as they wear out in 20
to 25 years or are replaced with better technology, environmentalists say.

The high-tech industry generated more than 2.6 million tons of e-waste
in the U.S. in 2005, about 87% of which ends up in landfills or
incinerators, according to the report.

Most of the rest was exported to developing countries to be dismantled
by low-wage workers, many of whom are exposed to dangerous substances
lurking in the guts of personal computers and other electronics.

"We don't want solar to go down that path," Davis said.

She said local, state and national governments need to consider
legislation to keep cleanup costs from falling to taxpayers. Conscious
of protecting the industry's clean and green reputation -- and probably
eager to avoid mandates they don't like -- some solar firms are taking
action on their own.

In Europe, an industry group known as PV Cycle is pledging to collect
and recycle its members' solar panels before they become a major
environmental hazard. The 17 companies that signed the accord
manufacture the majority of panels there.

In the U.S., First Solar Inc., a Tempe, Ariz., manufacturer of thin-film
photovoltaic modules, has developed what many in the industry are
calling a model for so-called extended producer responsibility. That's
the notion that companies must take responsibility for the
cradle-to-grave environmental effects of their products.

First Solar guarantees that it will take back all its solar panels from
commercial customers at the end of the product's life, said Lisa
Krueger, the company's vice president of sustainable development.

She said First Solar had made recycling those panels an integral part of
its manufacturing process so very little material needs to go to a
landfill. To back up its promise to customers, the company has funded an
independent trust to handle the cost of the collection effort, ensuring
that the panels would get recycled even if the company folds, Krueger said.

"We are in business to create environmental solutions," she said. "What
good does it do if we create waste problems" in the process?

_marla.dickerson at latimes.com

_/***   NOTICE:  In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this
material is distributed, without profit, for research and educational
purposes only.   ***/