Homeowners looking for glittering solar panels attract advertising is filled with the image of the original landscape and the sun, and the benefits of technology on the environment words - and the purse.
What kind of customers may not know is, there is a the dirty side.
Although solar energy is a far less pollution than coal or natural gas energy, however, many panel manufacturers are trying to solve the problem of hazardous waste. In part by the billions of dollars in government incentives, driven industry created millions of solar panels, every year, in the process, millions of pounds of sludge and polluted water.
To deal with material, the company must by truck or rail far from their factory waste treatment facilities hundreds of transport, in some cases, thousands of miles away.
Experts say, the use of fossil fuels, transportation, waste, is usually considered solar battery carbon footprint calculation, let scientists and consumer use of measurement, to assess the influence of the products of global warming, solar energy is clean impression than.
In the installation of solar panels, "it will need one to three months to pay off the power energy investment in the hazardous waste emissions out of the state, said:" dustin horse, tile, SAN jose state university environment research professor in carbon footprint analysis of solar energy, biological fuel and gas production.
From manufacturing waste have proposed attention of industry, it worry about, if allowed to development, may weaken the solar green image at a time, the enterprise are faced with from each other and low cost panel manufacturers from China and elsewhere in the fierce competition.
Smirnow, trade and competitiveness of the nearly 500 members of the solar energy industry association vice President John said: "we hope that the electronic and semiconductor industries to pollution lessons, some of these problems,".
Solar energy is the increase of hazardous waste is directly related to the rapid growth of the industry in the past five years - even with solar energy business for China's rapid movement, the United States is a net exporter of solar products $200 million, in 2010 the last years of data available. Countries and even Chinese net exporter.
The new company will often their factory of hazardous waste, because they have no investment in the field processing equipment, which makes them to recovery a some waste.
There is no place of the problem of waste more apparent than in California, in the 1970 s landmark regulations approved need solar panels manufacturers of industrial plant, such as report harmful amount of substance, and they put it. California lead to consumers in the United States solar market - overall in the 2010 and 2011 doubled.
The associated 41 solar battery manufacturer's state, including top companies and venture market based on the data of compiled a list. In response to the requirements of the AP record, California toxic substances control report to provide the data display, including 17 waste, and the rest of the no.
The same level of the federal data does not exist.
State records show that, from 2007 to 2011 in the first half of 17 companies, including 44 in California production facilities, the production of sludge and 46500000 pounds, contaminated water. The whole country of about 97% of the hazardous waste treatment facilities, but more than 1.4 million pounds was sent to the other nine states: Arkansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Washington state, Utah, Nevada, new Mexico and Arizona.
Some solar experts say, they have no calculation of the records show that in what industry of the total amount of waste and surprise.
Solyndra company solar energy company, now already does not exist, won a $535 million federal loan guarantee, the hazardous waste about 12.5 million pounds, many carcinogens cadmium pollution of water, was sent to waste treatment facilities from 2007 to the middle of 2011.
Before, the company went bankrupt, thus increasing the solar industry review and President barack Obama who the government's political influence, Solyndra company said, it created 100 megawatts of solar panels of value, enough to power supply for 100000 families.
Record also shows that some other silicon valley solar facilities don't sell single solar panels, and they are developing their own technology or trimming their own production created millions of pounds of toxic waste.
Wastes, but also considered to be poisonous, is there any evidence that it has damage to human health.
The dangers of waste, in California solar energy company, most have not been quoted in violation of the waste pollution problem, although have a slight illegal file.
In many cases, a poisonous sludge is created, metal and other toxin in manufacturing process used in the water has been removed. If a company does not have its own treatment equipment, and then will be polluted water stored in approved dump.
According to the scientists in the so-called "life cycle analysis" the solar energy, waste transportation at present not have been considered, measures, make the product produce greenhouse gas emissions of carbon footprint score.
Life cycle analysis to add all the global warming pollution, into a product - from mining required components, used to carry waste and material of the diesel vehicle emissions. Analysts said that the thought of hazardous waste transportation to solar carbon footprint is a clear supervision.
"Greenhouse gas emissions and transport these waste is not small," horse tile, he said.
The horse tile, points out, shipping, for example, 6.2 million pounds of waste heavy tractor trailer from the fremont, California, in the San Francisco bay area, to 1800 miles outside of the site could be increased by 5% to a particular product carbon footprint.
This result is very important, because they provide the transparency of the government and consumers how to environment and sustainable development of the specific products and laid a firm's technology and another choose between.
About twenty years of life, the sun can panels still make some the most clean energy technology. Production of solar cells is still significant than fossil fuels more clean. For example, from natural gas and coal power plants produce energy, create more than ten times of hazardous waste solar panels produce energy than with, according to the horse, tile.
The solar energy industry, said the report its wastes, and transmits it to the approval of a storage device



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