China’s pollution and solar energy

Who are the world's biggest polluters and how did their air get so bad? The answer is China and India and the good news is both countries are becoming global leaders in adopting solar energy. But is it too late? Climate scientists are making further shocking discoveries about the polar ice melting. But for now, global climate change is a worldwide phenomenon that must be discussed to save the planet. The solar industry has changed the world and the environment but many believe the change is too little, too late. As people worldwide feel the heat of climate change, many are excited about the remarkable growth of China’s fledgling solar-cell industry. China is leading the way in solar production mostly because they are able to manufacture solar panels cheaper than everyone else. Solar and other “green” technologies, by generating electricity from renewable energy sources like the sun and wind, create support for a world free of coal-burning damage and natural resource depletion. However, a recent Washington Post article has revealed that China’s booming solar industry is not as green as most observers believed. Many of the solar panels that now cover European and American rooftops have left behind a legacy of toxic pollution in some Chinese villages and farmlands. The Chinese are finally accepting climate change as a reality and their national interest means solar power must be implemented. When will all the Western nations follow suit?

Chinese factory waste is a big problem

A well known Chinese silicon manufacturer is disposing of toxic factory waste directly on to the neighboring villages, killing crops and poisoning residents and animals. Other silicon factories in the country have similar problems, either because they have not installed effective pollution control equipment or they are not running these operations at capacity. Polysilicon is a key component of the sunlight-capturing wafers used in solar photovoltaic (PV) cells.

China is now the global leader in solar PV manufacture. According to the recent Worldwatch Institute report Powering China’s Development: The Role of Renewable Energy, PV production capacity in China jumped from 350 megawatts (MW) in 2005 to over 1,000 MW in 2006, with another 1,500 MW estimated for 2007. Public stock offerings for several Chinese companies, some valued in the billions of dollars, have concentrated worldwide attention on how this industry will progress—having literally developed from nothing into the world’s third largest PV industry in just five years. Much of this development, however, is driven by global demand, with over 90 percent of Chinese-made solar PV systems being sold to western countries.

New technological advancements

Systems exist to recycle the chemical byproducts of solar-cell production, but some Chinese polysilicon plants are cutting costs by avoiding extra investment in pollution control systems. This is not surprising considering the lack of concern regarding Chinese laborers Although China will eventually benefit from this green technology as costs decline further, for the current time, the industry continues to tread the traditional path of “pollute first, clean up afterward.” At stake are the little-known societies in China, especially rural farmers who rely on increasingly polluted lands for a living. China’s solar industry, while enabling blue skies elsewhere, is leaving behind a damaged landscape at home.

The environment has taken the hit in China

Analyzing the country's current state, the environment has been the biggest loser in China’s rapid economic growth. The irony of the recent Post exposé is that the environment is not being considered thoughtfully by Chinese industries that bear a “green” tag, and whose products support progress toward a more sustainable environment. As China becomes more industrialized and strives to meet the insatiable demands of a growing urban middle class, there is every reason to debate how long the current state of affairs can endure, and how much time it will take before businesses care enough about their impacts to truly protect the environment.

There has never been a better time to install a solar energy system!

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