Solar panels and pollution mitigation

The solar revolution has changed the world and the environment. As people worldwide increasingly feel the heat of climate change, many are excited about the skyrocketing growth of China’s fledgling solar-cell industry. Solar and other “green” technologies, by providing electricity from renewable energy sources like the sun and wind, create hope for a world free of coal-burning pollution and natural resource depletion. However, a recent Washington Post article has revealed that China’s booming solar industry is not as green as once thought. Many of the solar panels that now adorn European and American rooftops have left behind a legacy of toxic pollution in Chinese villages and farmlands.

Chinese factory waste

A prominent Chinese polysilicon manufacturer is dumping toxic factory waste directly on to the areas of neighboring villages, killing crops and poisoning residents. Other polysilicon factories in the country have similar issues, either because they have not installed effective pollution control equipment or they are not operating these systems at full capacity. Polysilicon is a key component of the sunlight-capturing wafers used in solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. China is now a 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 increased from 350 megawatts (MW) in 2005 to over 1,000 MW in 2006, with 1,500 MW estimated for 2007. Public stock offerings for several Chinese companies, including some valued in the billions of dollars, have focused worldwide attention on how this industry will progress—having developed from nothing into the world’s third largest PV industry in just five years. This development is driven by global demand, with over 90 percent of Chinese-made solar PV systems being exported to western countries.

Technological advancements

Recently developed technologies that recycle the byproducts of solar-cell production have been introduced, but some Chinese polysilicon plants are cutting costs by avoiding investment in pollution control. While China will eventually benefit from this green technology as costs decline further, for the time being, the industry continues to tread the traditional path of “pollute first, clean up afterward.” At stake are the little-known groups in Chinese society, especially rural farmers who depend on polluted lands for a living. China’s existing solar industry, while enabling cleaner air everywhere, is leaving behind a damaged landscape at home.

 As China becomes more industrialized and strives to meet the increasing demands of a growing society, many question how long the current state of affairs can last, 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!

If you want to move into the future and join the solar revolution, or if you want to find out what solar panels are right for you, go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. You can see how much a system will cost, and how much you can save over the next  20 years. 

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