Solar Panel Industry Producing Millions of Pounds of Carcinogenic Toxic Waste

[Warph]

http://news.yahoo.com/solar-industry-grapples-hazardous-wastes-184714679.html

Wait... but clean... it's green energy... it can't... but it comes from the sun... how can it not be good for the environment?

Fueled partly by billions in government incentives, the industry is creating millions of solar panels each year and, in the process, millions of pounds of polluted sludge and contaminated water.

To dispose of the material, the companies must transport it by truck or rail far from their own plants to waste facilities hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of miles away:

"Associated Press - Chart shows the amount of waste generated from solar companies in California that was shipped to other states for disposal."

And how are these trucks full of Clean Green Energy Toxic Waste transported? By sunshine? By wind power?

The fossil fuels used to transport that waste, experts say, is not typically considered in calculating solar's carbon footprint, giving scientists and consumers who use the measurement to gauge a product's impact on global warming the impression that solar is cleaner than it is.

After installing a solar panel, "it would take one to three months of generating electricity to pay off the energy invested in driving those hazardous waste emissions out of state," said Dustin Mulvaney, a San Jose State University environmental studies professor who conducts carbon footprint analyses of solar, biofuel and natural gas production.

Clean Green Energy creates toxic waste that must be transported by fume spewing trucks. I almost feel like Al Gore lied to me, but we all know that's completely impossible.

The state records show the 17 companies, which had 44 manufacturing facilities in California, produced 46.5 million pounds of sludge and contaminated water from 2007 through the first half of 2011. Roughly 97 percent of it was taken to hazardous waste facilities throughout the state, but more than 1.4 million pounds were transported to nine other states: Arkansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Nevada, Washington, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.

Can't we just go nuclear? We would have steadier and cheaper energy. But ecofreaks hate nuclear. Still it's solar panels. It's from the sun. It can't possibly be too toxic. Can it?

Solyndra, the now-defunct solar company that received $535 million in guaranteed federal loans, reported producing about 12.5 million pounds of hazardous waste, much of it carcinogenic cadmium-contaminated water.

The bad news is that taxpayers shelled out 40 dollars per pound of carcinogenic toxic waste. The good news, is that it's Clean Green carcinogenic toxic waste that comes from the sun.

Before the company went bankrupt, leading to increased scrutiny of the solar industry and political fallout for President Barack Obama's administration, Solyndra said it created 100 megawatts-worth of solar panels, enough to power 100,000 homes.

Just out of curiosity, how many people can 12.5 million pounds of carcinogenic waste kill?

Huh??

[Ross]

Isn't that amazing?

We go green to create toxic waste!
We go to renewable energy which creates a need for more energy to clean up the toxic waste.
Which also creates a larger carbon foot print, right?
All the while the million of lights of Las Vegas burn brightly all night long and all those electric pumps run twenty-four seven spraying water into the air  for looks and of course the water is evaporating continuously and having to be replenished which requires more energy.

While using tax dollars that don't exist to make it all happen.

Let's conserve. Go team. Great politics at work, NOT!

[VonRippel]

http://news.yahoo.com/solar-industry-grapples-hazardous-wastes-184714679.html

Wait... but clean... it's green energy... it can't... but it comes from the sun... how can it not be good for the environment?

Fueled partly by billions in government incentives, the industry is creating millions of solar panel each year and, in the process, millions of pounds of polluted sludge and contaminated water.

To dispose of the material, the companies must transport it by truck or rail far from their own plants to waste facilities hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of miles away:[/i][/b]

"Associated Press - Chart shows the amount of waste generated from solar companies in California that was shipped to other states for disposal."

And how are these trucks full of Clean Green Energy Toxic Waste transported? By sunshine? By wind power?

The fossil fuels used to transport that waste, experts say, is not typically considered in calculating solar's carbon footprint, giving scientists and consumers who use the measurement to gauge a product's impact on global warming the impression that solar is cleaner than it is.

After installing a solar panel, "it would take one to three months of generating electricity to pay off the energy invested in driving those hazardous waste emissions out of state," said Dustin Mulvaney, a San Jose State University environmental studies professor who conducts carbon footprint analyses of solar, biofuel and natural gas production.

Clean Green Energy creates toxic waste that must be transported by fume spewing trucks. I almost feel like Al Gore lied to me, but we all know that's completely impossible.

The state records show the 17 companies, which had 44 manufacturing facilities in California, produced 46.5 million pounds of sludge and contaminated water from 2007 through the first half of 2011. Roughly 97 percent of it was taken to hazardous waste facilities throughout the state, but more than 1.4 million pounds were transported to nine other states: Arkansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Nevada, Washington, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.

Can't we just go nuclear? We would have steadier and cheaper energy. But ecofreaks hate nuclear. Still it's solar panels. It's from the sun. It can't possibly be too toxic. Can it?

Solyndra, the now-defunct solar company that received $535 million in guaranteed federal loans, reported producing about 12.5 million pounds of hazardous waste, much of it carcinogenic cadmium-contaminated water.

The bad news is that taxpayers shelled out 40 dollars per pound of carcinogenic toxic waste. The good news, is that it's Clean Green carcinogenic toxic waste that comes from the sun.

Before the company went bankrupt, leading to increased scrutiny of the solar industry and political fallout for President Barack Obama's administration, Solyndra said it created 100 megawatts-worth of solar panels, enough to power 100,000 homes.

Just out of curiosity, how many people can 12.5 million pounds of carcinogenic waste kill?

Huh??

Every industry is producing endless waste every year.. I am not sure when energy producing way is completely safe and green.

[larryJ]

I would like to waste those telemarketers selling solar panels who incessantly call my unlisted and federally registered "DO NOT CALL" phone.  They get around this by using computers to randomly dial numbers, so-called "robocalls."  It is amazing to me that once the connection is established, they know my name!  Caller ID shows the number, but it is a number that you can't return the call.  Therefore, it is a number that you can't report to the FTC when filing a complaint.  The way around this is to be really nice to the person who is calling and tell them that you are really busy right now, but could you have a number to call them back.  Then use that number in your complaint.

Or, as a cousin of mine once said.....when he gets a call from a telemarketer who happens to be a woman, he asks her what she is wearing!  Funny guy. 

Larryj

[Diane Amberg]

Apparently some robo call people are all over in various countries.Whenever one group is tracked down they disconnect and reappear somewhere else. We've tried everything possible to stop them with little success. We get at least three every day. None are for solar panels though. Some states like AZ has a message one can put on their answering machine that some how stops most of them . My SIL has very little to no problem.
As far as solar panel production. I wonder how they compare to other productions of energy related products? I would think, though limited ,water power would be fairly clean. We've got what are called Bloom Boxes  energy cells) being maufactured here.I'm rather skeptical about them as they are very hush hush. I guess almost all production of anything is dirty in some way; some are worse than others.
Around here the solar panel companies have come up with a new idea.Ya don't buy them, ya rent them. They get paid from the monthly electricity savings, so they appear to be free.

[Ross]

Diane, I read little bit about the technology about two years ago and it sounded terrific.
I read that several large companies were using it and then I heard nothing more about it until your post.

Sure wish I could afford it, it sounds promising.

Here is a bit of information for you.

Bloom Energy Server

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


The Bloom Energy Server (the Bloom Box) is a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) made by Bloom Energy, of Sunnyvale, California, that can use a wide variety of inputs (including liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons[1] produced from biological sources) to generate electricity on the site where it will be used.[2][3] It can withstand temperatures of up to 1,800 °F (980 °C), that would cause many other fuel cells to break down or require maintenance.[4] According to the company, a single cell (one 100 mm × 100 mm metal alloy plate between two ceramic layers) generates 25 watts.[5]

Bloom stated that two hundred servers have been deployed in California for corporations including eBay, Google, and Wal-Mart.[6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom_Energy_Server

Some more info if you are interested.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/0222/Bloom-Box-What-60-Minutes-left-out

The Company http://www.bloomenergy.com/

Happy Valentines Day Diane.

[Diane Amberg]

Thank you. Happy Valentines Day to you too. Yes,  as they get up to full speed they will serve quite a few sites,including UD.I do know quite a bit about them. They got a lot of local press and had to go before City Council.They are one of several companies that have taken over the old Chrysler plant site here in Newark, other side of town from me, across from UD stadium.They are up and running. City of Newark already belongs to an electric coop, so we are not personally involved, but those who are attached to them are beginning to complain because they are  now being assessed a surcharge they weren't told about.. now up to $5.00 a month with no top.They were not very transparent about the details, but the general technology is fascinating. Some folks complained that they wouldn't answer questions...sound familiar? I do hope it lives up to all the information I have seen.Thanks for the articles.