Every hour, enough solar energy reaches the Earth to meet human energy needs for an entire year. Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is widely seen as a “win-win” solution that can harness this “free energy” to address global warming, reduce U.S. dependence on energy imports, create “green jobs,” and help revitalise the economy.
Solar energy will play an essential role in meeting these challenges, but as the solar PV sector expands, little attention is being paid to the potential environmental and health costs of that rapid expansion. The most widely used solar PV panels are based on materials and processes from the microelectronics industry and have the potential to create a huge new wave of electronic waste (e-waste) at the end of their useful lives, which is estimated to be 20 to 25 years. New solar PV technologies are increasing cell efficiency and lowering costs, but many of these use extremely toxic materials or materials with unknown health and environmental risks.
A white paper published by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) provides an overview of the health and safety issues faced by the solar PV industry, including the toxic materials used in manufacturing and the potential end-of-life disposal hazards of solar PV products. The report also lays out recommendations to immediately address these problems to build a safe, sustainable, and just solar energy industry.
The solar PV industry has seen tremendous growth in the past decade and continues to expand even as credit markets contract. In 2007, the industry grew by 62 per cent and earned USD17.2 billion in global revenues. The number of solar cells produced globally has increased sevenfold in the past five years, and cumulative installations have increased fivefold over that time.
Although solar power now provides just 1/10th of 1 per cent of U.S. energy consumption, that share is rapidly expanding as costs become more competitive with conventional energy sources. By some estimates, each time the volume of solar PV cell shipments doubles, the price falls by about 20 per cent. The sector forecasts sustained growth, as calls for carbon-free energy and green jobs translate into increased investment in renewable energy, tax incentives for solar PV systems, and subsidies for solar PV research.
Solar energy, being an essential part of the global move toward clean and renewable energy, decisive attention ought to be paid to the potential risks and consequences of scaling up solar PV cell production. The solar PV industry must address these issues immediately, or risk repeating the mistakes made by the microelectronics industry of widespread toxic chemical pollution.
Although the solar PV boom is still in its early stages, disturbing global trends are beginning to emerge. Much of the polysilicon feedstock material (the highly refined silicon used as the basic material for crystalline silicon PV cells) is produced in countries like China, where manufacturing costs and environmental regulatory enforcement are low. In March 2008, the Washington Post reported that at least one plant in China’s Henan province is regularly dumping extremely toxic silicon tetrachloride (a corrosive and toxic waste product of polysilicon manufacturing) on nearby farmland. According to Li Xiaoping, deputy director of the Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences, “Crops cannot grow on this, and it is not suitable for people to live nearby.” Silicon tetrachloride makes the soil too acidic for plants, causes severe irritation to living tissues, and is highly toxic when ingested or inhaled.
SVTC is urging the industry to urgently adopt policies that:
• Reduce and eventually eliminate the use of toxic materials and develop environmentally sustainable practices. This includes proper testing of new and emerging materials based on a precautionary approach. This approach requires that materials be proven safe before use, rather than waiting until they cause harm.
• Ensure that solar PV manufacturers are responsible for the lifecycle impacts of their products through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Solar PV companies should take back decommissioned solar panels and recycle them responsibly. Responsible recycling does not export waste overseas or use prison labour.
• Ensure proper testing of new and emerging materials and processes based on a precautionary approach. Those advocating the use of new chemicals or processes must prove their safety (rather than requiring communities or workers to prove their dangers).
• Expand recycling technology and design products for easy recycling: Current solar PV products contain many toxic materials that should not enter the waste stream when products are decommissioned. Requiring manufacturer responsibility will provide an incentive to design less-toxic solar PV products that are easier to recycle. It will also spur development of safe recycling technologies.
• Promote high-quality “green jobs” that protect worker health and safety and provide a living wage throughout the global PV industry, including supply chains, production, and recycling.
• Protect community health and safety throughout the global PV industry, including supply chains and end-of-life recycling. People have the right to know what toxic materials are being used in their communities.
Potential End-of-Life Hazards for Solar PV Products
Solar panels have an estimated life of about 25 years. What will happen to them at the end of their life span? Not only do solar PV products contain many of the same materials as electronic waste (e-waste), but they also contain a growing number of new and emerging materials that present complex recycling challenges. These challenges include finding ways to recycle the small amounts of valuable materials on which many of the new solar PV technologies are based.
Much like e-waste, solar panels will leave a toxic legacy if they end up in landfills (where the materials they contain can leach into groundwater) or incinerators (where burning can release toxic materials into the air). To avoid a repeat of the e-waste crisis, we need to ensure that decommissioned solar PV products are recycled responsibly and do not enter the waste stream at all.
One option could be to recycle solar PV panels that contain toxic metals at existing responsible e-waste recycling facilities or at facilities that recycle batteries containing lead and cadmium, thereby keeping toxics out of the municipal incinerators and landfills. However, the latter hazardous waste recovery facilities are often low-tech and in need of substantial research and development to improve their environmental footprint.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), such as manufacturer take-back requirements, will be the key to ensuring that these complex and diverse solar PV products can be safely recycled. Making manufacturers responsible for the life cycle impacts of their products will provide incentives for the development of safe and effective recycling technologies and for the design of products that are easier to recycle. Plans for recovering and recycling materials at the end of product life should be standard practice for any product identified as a “renewable” energy source.
Taking Action
Working together, we need to take steps to ensure that today’s solar PV products are safe and sustainable throughout their lifecycles and supply chains. SVTC makes the following recommendations for this:
State and Federal Policy makers
• Author and support legislation that requires take-back policies for electronic waste, including solar panels.
• Enact policies regarding the import and sale of products containing toxic materials; these policies should, at a minimum, meet the standards set by recent E.U. legislation.
• Support legislation to prevent the export of hazardous waste to developing countries.
• Support legislation that promotes the creation of high-quality “green jobs.” Green jobs protect worker health and safety, while providing a living wage, health and other benefits, job satisfaction, access for entry-level workers, and opportunities for career advancement.
Solar Panel Designers and Manufacturers
• Through continuous improvement in product and manufacturing design, reduce and eventually eliminate the use of toxic materials in the production of solar panels.
• Design and manufacture solar panels that can be easily and safely recycled.
• Know and disclose the chemicals used in products throughout their lifecycles.
• Assess the potential hazards of chemicals in use and avoid toxic exposure to workers, the environment, and the public.
• Establish effective take-back policies for solar panels, including strategies to collect and recycle panels when they are decommissioned.
• Monitor supply chains for the chemical inputs used in solar cell manufacturing and ensure that environmental and labour practices are safe and just.
Consumers
• Contact legislators with your concerns. Tell them you strongly support the use of solar energy and want to make sure it is advanced in a safe and just manner.
• Before purchasing solar panels, find out if the company will take back the solar panels after use and ensure responsible recycling. Also inquire whether the company actively supports legislation to require take-back programs and the use of responsible recyclers for the solar industry.
• Although manufacturers should ultimately take responsibility for ensuring product safety, consumers need information about the toxic materials used in solar panels and about any potential hazards those materials pose to users (for example, in the case of residential fires).
