A hailstorm that destroyed a solar farm in Texas has raised concerns among surrounding communities and energy experts, raising questions about whether “green” energy is really safe.
March 15 storm shattered “hundreds of panels” at Fort Bend County’s Fighting Jays solar farm, Fox News report.
Pilot Ryan Ashcraft captured aerial footage showing the extent of the mysterious damage.
Aerial video of a 4,000-acre solar farm in south Texas shows extensive damage after hailstones hit the area. pic.twitter.com/DYMJtHf7zk
— Accuweather (@accuweather) March 28, 2024
According to iCliniq, resident Nick Kaminski said damaged solar panels could leak harmful chemicals such as cadmium telluride, a semiconductor material commonly used in panels, and that they could be “inhaled.” They expressed concern that it could cause serious health problems if ingested. medical report.
“My concern is that the hail damage destroyed the panels and now there are very toxic chemicals that could potentially be leaching into the water table. “That’s true,” said Needville’s Kaminski. Said KRIV-TV.
“I have a family – two children and a wife. My neighbors have children, and many other residents in the area who use well water are concerned about chemicals leaking into the water table. “I’m concerned that it’s coming out,” he added.
Needville Mayor Chas Nesvadova told Fox News that the Fort Bend County Department of Environmental Health is investigating the incident and has contacted the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regarding the potential health risks.
Rep. Troy Neals (R-Texas), who represents the area surrounding the solar farm, said he is working with local property owners who were also affected by the hail storm and could be affected by the chemical leak. are doing.
His spokeswoman, Emily Matthews, said Mr. Neals supports an “all of the above” energy approach rather than relying strictly on solar power because of such examples.
“As long as solar farms are damaged in areas that are prone to hail and tornadoes, these companies are deliberately taking the risk of building solar panels in these areas,” Matthews told Fox News. I owe it,” 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.”
The Denmark-based parent company of the Fighting Jays solar project’s developer says there is no health risk to local residents.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, which owns developer AP Solar Holdings, issued a statement saying: “The silicon-based panels do not contain cadmium telluride and there are no known risks to the local community or the environment.” said.
The company confirmed that many of its panels were destroyed in the storm, but said it was still “evaluating the extent of the storm’s impact on the project’s power generation while the plant continues to operate safely at reduced capacity.” said.
Even without a chemical leak, experts still point to other risks associated with such forms of energy.
Daniel Turner, executive director of energy watchdog Power the Future, highlighted hail damage as an example of what could happen on a larger scale if countries are forced to adopt “green” energy.
“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 the outlet. “They use all these buzzwords. But none of them apply, and they also have major flaws. And obscuring these very obvious flaws is doing the American people a great disservice.” I am.”
He also pointed out that solar panels mainly come from 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.” he posed.
“Green energy is the future…in a world without hail,” he said of X.
A hailstorm in Texas caused extensive damage to thousands of acres of solar panels.
Green energy is the future…in a hail-free world.
— Daniel Turner (@DanielTurnerPTF) March 26, 2024
