Solar Energy In China

One of the main concerns surrounding solar energy is the endangerment of birds that pass over these solar farms. These birds, including threatened and endangered species, often mistake the reflective solar facilities for a body of water, a phenomenon known as the “lake effect.” Honing in on these water bodies, many birds have been fatally singed or crippled due to these desert solar power plants (Upton, 2014). These plants produce a solar flux that is the sum of the focused rays of light delivered by the mirror array. If the birds are not directly killed due to exposure to solar flux, many lose their ability to fly and eventually starve or become prey. The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is currently the biggest facility of its kind …show more content…
However, the production of these solar panels for American consumers are leaving villagers in China to grapple with the toxic effects of silicon production. Green energy companies in China, such as the Luoyang Zhonggui High-Technology Co., produce polysilicon destined for solar energy panels to be sold around the world. The byproduct of polysilicon production is silicon tetrachloride which poses environmental hazards (Cha, 2008). For each ton of polysilicon produced, at least four tons of silicon tetrachloride liquid waste is generated (Cha, 2008). This compound renders crops infertile, causes skin burns, and increases the likelihood of lung disease (Nath, 2010). Buckets of this white liquid toxin are dumped over the land every day, and the poor and powerless villagers are unable to stop it. An analysis of the dirt from the dump site near Luoyang Zhonggui showed high concentrations of chlorine and hydrochloric acid, which results from the breakdown of silicon tetrachloride (Cha, 2008). The compound can also transform into acids and poisonous hydrogen chloride gas, which can cause dizziness and chest pains in the people who breathe in the air. The high investment costs and the energy consumption to recycle the compound has deterred many factories in China from putting silicon tetrachloride back into the …show more content…
Chinese companies plan to increase silicon production from 20,000 to 100,000, and twenty new plants are already being constructed. To increase profit, many plants in China have decreased their launching times by nearly half. (Nath, 2010). These are raising major concerns about whether firms are taking reckless steps in order to reduce costs. Polysilicon manufacturing can be a safe process if silicon tetrachloride is recycled back into a base material for production. Cost remains the main issue for the Chinese manufacturers. The environmental sustainability of solar power can only be fully understood after considering all aspects. (??) Solar panels are still some of the cleanest energy technology available. Energy from natural gas and coal-fired power plants creates more than 10 times more hazardous wastes (AP, 2013). While solar plants sends its waste to approved storage facilities, coal-fired power plants sends mercury, cadmium, and other toxins directly into the air, polluting water and land (AP, 2013). The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (STVC) proposed a legislation requiring Extended Producer Responsibility, which would require firms to take back and recycle their used products (Nath, 2010). The US can emulate the European solar industry which has formed the PV Cycle Association, composing of more than 80% of the European solar market which have signed a voluntary pledge to recycle