A hailstorm in southeast Texas destroyed much of a large solar farm, raising the stakes of replacing traditional power sources with vulnerable “green” alternatives. The revelations have raised concerns about the possibility of chemicals leaking from the broken panels.
Aerial footage shows significant damage sustained at the Fighting Jays solar power plant in Fort Bend County, Texas. The March 15 storm shattered hundreds of panels, leaving nearby residents wondering if solar panels were leaking chemicals such as cadmium telluride, which is associated with serious human health risks. did.
“My concern is that the hail damage destroyed the panels. There are now very toxic chemicals present that may be leaking into the water table.” Needville resident Nick Kaminsky told Fox affiliate KRIV-TV. “I have a family. I have two children and a wife. My neighbors have children as well. Many other residents in the area who use well water are concerned about chemicals leaking into the water table. I’m worried that it might be.”
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Images taken by Fox affiliate FOX26 Houston KRIV show extensive damage to Fighting Jays Solar in Fort Bend County, Texas. (FOX26 Houston KRIV)
The Fort Bend County Department of Environmental Health is investigating the incident and has also contacted the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regarding potential chemical contamination, Needville Mayor Chad Nesvadova told Fox News Digital. . Fort Bend County officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Rep. Troy Neals (R-Texas) represents communities surrounding solar farms and is working with people whose homes, businesses and property were destroyed by the storm, said spokeswoman Emily Matthews. He said the incident “highlights the importance of everything.” An “above” approach to energy policy.
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Matthews told Fox News Digital: “As long as solar farms are being damaged in areas that are prone to hail and tornadoes, these companies are deliberately taking the risk of building solar panels in these areas. “I owe that,” he said. “Events like this highlight the importance of having an all-above energy approach to meeting our energy needs and remind us that our country cannot rely solely on or fully transition to such renewable energy sources. is showing.”
Denmark-based Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, the parent company of AP Solar Holdings, the developer of the Fighting Jays solar project, said the storm destroyed much of its farm, but at this time it has not provided support to nearby communities. He admitted there was no risk of exposure to chemicals.
Local resident Nick Kaminsky photographed during an interview with Fox affiliate FOX26 Houston KRIV. (FOX26 Houston KRIV)
“On March 15, a hailstorm caused solar panel damage to Fighting Jays Solar, a 350 MW project in Fort Bend County, Texas,” CIP told FOX News Digital in a statement. “We are currently assessing the extent of the storm’s impact on the project’s power generation, while the power plant continues to operate safely at reduced capacity.”
It added: “The silicon-based panels do not contain cadmium telluride and there are no known risks to the community or the environment.”
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The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees the state’s power grid, said it was aware of the situation but had not identified any concerns about grid reliability. The Public Utilities Commission of Texas added that it has not yet received a report regarding the incident.
Still, Daniel Turner, executive director of the energy watchdog group Power the Future, said the storm’s impact could pose future threats to the U.S. power grid if the country becomes heavily dependent on solar energy. He said it was possible to predict.
Rep. Troy Neals, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Rail, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, during a June 6, 2023, hearing. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
“There’s a huge shell game going on by the Biden administration and the environmental left to claim that wind and solar are completely green, clean and carbon neutral,” Turner told Fox News Digital. “They use all these buzzwords. But none of them are, and they also have very big flaws. And obscuring these very obvious flaws is doing the American people a huge disservice. It’s causing damage.”
He pointed out that since solar panels are mainly manufactured in China, the destruction of solar power plants could be used in geopolitical conflicts between the United States and China.
“How can we expect them to come to our aid when the grid is down across the country? They have the supplies we need to get back up.” Turner said.
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Fighting Jays Solar will be operational in July 2022 and will span more than 3,000 acres, according to AP Solar Holdings. It is located approximately 60 miles from downtown Houston.
Meanwhile, the project’s destruction comes as the nation scrambles to replace existing fossil fuel power generation with green energy alternatives. However, these plans have been criticized by experts who warn that these energy sources rely on certain windy and sunny weather conditions.
