Technologies

Community solar: Residents can subscribe to the community solar project and receive credits on their electric bill for the clean energy it generates, resulting in monthly savings. This opportunity is open to everyone—including renters and co-op owners—making clean, locally produced energy more accessible. Subscribers benefit by offsetting their electricity use and taking advantage of discounted community solar credits that help lower overall energy cost.

Utility-scale solar: Once built, utility-scale solar projects have low operating costs because sunlight is free. These savings are passed along to ratepayers through stable or lower electricity rates compared to fossil fuel-based generation, which is subject to volatile fuel prices. Solar energy production often coincides with peak demand times (like hot summer afternoons). Injecting low-cost solar into the grid during these times can lower wholesale electricity prices, reducing the cost utilities pay for electricity on the open market—and reducing what consumers eventually pay.

The generation of electricity from photovoltaic (PV) solar panels is safe and effective. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, few power-generating technologies have as little environmental impact as PV solar panels. Because PV systems do not burn fuels, they do not produce toxic air emissions or greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional fossil fuel-fired generation technologies.  

Ground-mounted PV solar arrays are made of panels of silicon solar cells covered by a thin layer of protective glass, which is attached to an inert solid underlying substance (or “substrate”).  The most common type of PV panel is made of tempered glass, which is very strong. They pass hail tests and are regularly installed in Arctic and Antarctic conditions. Because PV panel materials are enclosed, and do not mix with water, there is little to no risk of chemical releases to the environment during normal use. Photovoltaic solar panels are designed to operate for decades without corrosion and have been operating as such around the world for decades. If a solar panel does crack, it is designed so that it will not shatter and scatter into debris but will remain in one piece, much like a cracked windshield. In the rare instance that a panel does become cracked, it will be replaced immediately.

Solar power projects are not expected to have any lasting impacts on aquifers, groundwater, or surface water. Projects must comply with all federal, state and local regulations to ensure that public water supplies, wetlands, and other water resource areas are properly protected. Care is taken to design solar power projects to avoid impacts to wetlands and waterbodies.

Yes, solar PV systems are designed to have several options to shut off the system in the event of an emergency. They have multiple protection systems such as reclosers installed both on utility and customer side with easily accessible switches. There are also additional systems to shut down the generation at the inverter and transformers and the utility has designed the interconnection scheme considering anti-islanding protection, etc. Furthermore, the system has electronic monitoring with the ability to detect multiple types of faults or extreme weather conditions and automatically engage a specific mode of operation to shut down the generation if necessary.

Although a very rare occurrence, if a solar panel receives a direct hit by lightning, it can sustain damage to its electronic components and may lead to short-circuit failures in the system. Repair or replacement of damaged electronic components would be required.

For a detailed explanation of how it all works, we suggest checking out this video from TED-Ed.

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Yes, solar panels can be recycled. Diverting solar panels from landfills to recycling saves space in landfills and captures the value of reusing the raw materials.

Crystalline-silicon solar technology represents most of the solar panel market share. This type of panel is constructed with an aluminum frame, glass, copper wire, polymer layers, silicon solar cells, and a plastic junction box. Many of these components can be recycled. Glass composes most of the weight of a solar panel (about 75 percent), and glass recycling is already a well-established industry. Other materials that are easily recyclable include the aluminum frame, copper wire, and plastic junction box.

Other components of a solar power system may include inverters, racking, and battery backup systems, which may also be recycled. Inverters may be able to be recycled with electronic waste, and racking may be recycled with similar scrap metals.

These projects have been designed to meet all state standards for protection of stormwater and ensure drainage patterns are not impacted. A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) will be prepared that will describe in specific terms the erosion and sediment control practices that will be implemented during construction activities, and the stormwater management practices that will be implemented after the project’s construction has been completed.

Solar power projects are not expected to produce noise that would adversely impact its surroundings. Inverters are typically louder than transformers, though neither produce sounds above normal ambient levels. Together, the sound at the property line is estimated to approximate that of a typical human conversation, or between 50 and 65 decibels.

The average expected lifespan of solar panels is 25 to 30 years, but it’s possible they can produce electricity for longer. Similar to other equipment, solar panels don’t perform at 100% for their entire life and then just stop working. Instead, solar panels degrade over time at a very slow rate and produce less electricity as they age. The panels will continue to produce energy for many years to come but at a lower efficiency level, which is why they will be replaced or recycled.