LA Times (Yahoo Archived): California went big on rooftop solar. Now that's a problem for landfills.
California has been a pioneer in pushing for rooftop solar power, building up the largest solar market in the U.S. More than 20 years and 1.3 million rooftops later, the bill is coming due.
Beginning in 2006, the state, focused on how to incentivize people to take up solar power, showered subsidies on homeowners who installed photovoltaic panels but had no comprehensive plan to dispose of them. Now, panels purchased under those programs are nearing the end of their typical 25-to-30-year life cycle.
Many are already winding up in landfills, where in some cases, they could potentially contaminate groundwater with toxic heavy metals such as lead, selenium and cadmium.
Sam Vanderhoof, a solar industry expert and chief executive of Recycle PV Solar, says that only 1 in 10 panels are actually recycled[.]
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“The industry is supposed to be green,” Vanderhoof said. “But in reality, it’s all about the money.”
But-but-but...wind turbines will be better than solar panels, then, right? No.
Wind Turbine Blades Dumped In Landfills: 50,000 Tons Of Non-Recyclable Toxic Garbage.
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