Solar panels may look bright and shiny, but they have a dark underbelly: production of polysilicon for panels gives off a highly toxic byproduct called silicon tetrachloride. In China, where factories are rushing to alleviate a polysilicon shortage that's cramping the global solar-panel industry, the bubbly white liquid is often just dumped in nearby villages. "The land where you dump or bury [silicon tetrachloride] will be infertile. No grass or trees will grow in the place," says a material-sciences expert at Hebei Industrial University. "It is poisonous, it is polluting. Human beings can never touch it." While silicon tetrachloride can be recycled -- with significant investment cost, time, and energy consumption -- many Chinese factories are cutting corners, and environmental agencies seem to largely be looking the other way.
source: The Washington Post
EU pushes China further after pledge to slow carbon intensity
Copenhagen climate summit (part 1): the expectations
Comments
View as Flat
Delay And Deny Posted 11:46 am
10 Mar 2008
http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2008/03/the-ugly-side-o.ht ...
"New research shows, albeit unintentional, that generating electricity with solar panels can also be a very bad idea. "
Permalink
Tasermons Partner Posted 2:50 pm
10 Mar 2008
They were dumpin' the byproducts in China long before the solar boom.
Permalink
Matt Posted 10:01 pm
10 Mar 2008
If people would get their thumbs out and properly clean up their waste, this wouldn't be an issue. This isn't like nuclear energy which produces a waste no tech can deal with (that is, render less harmful) or coal energy which is actually impossible to clean up if spilled.
The headline of this story shouldn't be "Solar Power is Evil" as much as "China is cutting corners again to exploit another market".
Permalink
Vikingsson Posted 12:06 am
11 Mar 2008
Stop buying this crap from China. I'm not waiting around for governments to do the right thing. I'll vote with my wallet which means I buy much less overall and when I do I pay a bit more for much better quality and/or better stewardship.
Permalink
racc Posted 3:09 am
11 Mar 2008
Also note that it requires a lot of energy to recycle it:
"But the high investment costs and time, not to mention the enormous energy consumption required for heating the substance to more than 1800 degrees Fahrenheit for the recycling, have discouraged many factories in China from doing the same."
Also note the world shortage of Si tetrachloride. The shortages of resources needed to produce solar panels is only going to get worse.
There are no great solutions for generating energy in the quantities needed to replace fossil fuels. The solution is conservation.
Permalink
Vikingsson Posted 4:13 am
11 Mar 2008
I could be labeled a bad consumer or even a bad citizen because I choose to buy much less than the average person and like to keep my purchases for much longer before buying new. Solar is still out of my price range except on a small scale. But I'm not about to buy from China just to save a few bucks.
I can't make China do the right thing but I can do right by not buying their poison or drinking the Bush brand kool aid.
Permalink
racc Posted 4:42 am
11 Mar 2008
China is doing far better than us on many fronts. They are dramatically expanding high-speed rail and rapid transit. The US is far behind and getting further behind everyday with useless infrastructure that is dependent on cheap energy.
Permalink
usandthem Posted 3:47 am
23 Mar 2008
Something that many people are unaware of is that the world and the U.S.in particular have been dumping toxic waste in Africa for decades.We do it because they are destitute,mostly,and will take whatever pays money.The waste is not sequestered it is just dumped in a hole.That does not help the water supply,or the soil,or the people and animals.The money,of course goes to the top people in government in the country and not the population in general.I mean Hey! It's only a third world country.Right!
Hell,China is dumping their toxic waste in streams and the rural countryside in their own country.People in the countryside are getting cancer of the stomach and intestinal tract because they are drinking water from streams that are polluted.Ya know the kicker?The people know that the water is polluted but they have to drink it because that is the only water available.
Quite the world we live in hey!Big Business,doesn't care about the little people,only the bottom line.It doesn't matter what country you live in.It is the same equation all over the world.
Permalink