Additional Sources of Information about PV and the Environment
This PV system at the Cal Expo in Sacramento, California, was "made for the shade." But it does so much more! Installed in September 2000, the 540-kilowatt PV system produces enough energy to power about 180 homes. And the solar arrays serve as an oasis of shaded parking for 1,000 cars in a desert of scorching blacktop. The project, which is the largest parking lot solar system in the world today, was designed and built by Kyocera Solar/Utility Power Group for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.
For information on the environmental, safety, and health aspects of PV production, see a publication of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, "The Safety of Photovoltaics." (PDF 317 KB) Download Adobe Reader.
Another source of such information is Brookhaven National Laboratory's Photovoltaic Environmental, Health and Safety Assistance Center.
These technical papers are also available online:
"Environmental life-cycle assessment of multicrystalline silicon solar cell modules," summary of the paper by G.J.M Phylipsen and E.A. Alsema; Department of Science, Technology and Society; Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands, September 1995.
"The environmental impact of photovoltaic technology" (PDF 64 KB) Download Adobe Reader., Miquel A. Aguado-Monsonet, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Seville, Spain, January 1998.