WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF SOLAR POWER ON WATER?

As the world becomes increasingly polluted, solar energy has been greeted as truly sustainable, clean, and increasingly efficient and cost-effective. But even solar energy can’t claim to have 100% environmentally free credentials. One area in which this form of power impacts on the environment is in terms of water.
 
Solar panel production and the impact on water
 
From the outset, the production of solar panels is no different from any other production process: water plays a role in producing certain components such as the production of photovoltaic units.
 
However, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, while solar uses less water, the chemicals used in the manufacturing process are caustic and toxic. There is the risk of some kind of spill which could result in these chemicals leaching into the soil and contaminating groundwater. In fairness to the solar industry, that is a risk that is not unique to solar panel manufacturers.
 
The effect of domestic or small-scale solar power usage
 
Photovoltaic solar power such as the panels installed on the roof of a home use no water at all in order to generate electricity. The only water that is used at all is if the panels themselves need to be washed so that their efficiency is improved. That’s it!
 
Possible solutions to reduce the impact on water resources of solar plants
 
As is so often the case, there are broadly two options when it comes to reducing the impact solar has on water: improve or modify existing technologies or develop new ones. In terms of solar power plants, there are developments in both areas.
For the large plants, there is a growing move towards more efficient wet or water cooling systems and technology. In addition, research and development underway in terms of dry cooling and also wet-recirculating systems and cooling towers. While these reduce water consumption dramatically, the downsides are a loss of efficiency in terms of megawatt per hour production and increased production costs.
 
The impact of the disposal of damaged or decommissioned panels
 
There is no disagreement that many photovoltaic cells, especially thin-film cells, contain a cocktail of hazardous chemicals. While the cell is healthy and in use it poses no risk at all. However, solar power is still in its infancy and the cells and panels that were made and sold in the 1970’s are still in use. What will happen when cells are damaged and old? How will they be recycled or disposed of? These concerns are also expressed by The Solar Action Alliance.
 
In order to prevent these chemicals from getting into the water, soil, and air, we need to come up with suitable and safe disposal mechanisms. There is, fortunately, an added incentive for producers to look into this, though: several of the materials in cells are rare or valuable so they need to be recovered. This should encourage the investigation of recycling and safe disposal.
 

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