Are Solar Panels Harmful To Your Health

Can Solar Panels Affect My Health

Unlike other energy sources, solar energy does not produce emissions that may cause negative health effects or other environmental damage. Solar farms produce lower electromagnetic field exposure than most household appliances, such as TVs and cell phones, and numerous studies have concluded that solar panels are not linked to any adverse human health issues. On the contrary, they have proved beneficial to human health by displacing the air pollution caused by fossil fuel electric generation, conserving clean water, and reducing the harmful impacts of climate change.

An extensive North Carolina State University study examining the fire, safety, and public health risks of utility-scale solar energy projects, including concerns regarding toxicity, electromagnetic fields, and electric shock potential, concluded that the negative health and safety impacts of utility-scale PV development were shown to be negligible, while the public health and safety benefits of installing these facilities are significant and far outweigh any negative impacts.

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Environmental Impact Of Solar Panel Manufacturing

How are solar panels made and what are the environmental impacts of that process?

Solar panels have few components: a frame, cells, backsheet, protective film, conductors and a tempered glass cover. The frame is aluminum, the cells are silicon, the conductors are copper and the backsheet & film are typically a polymer or plastic-based material.

Multi-crystalline solar panels have an energy payback period of just 2 years.

Another favourable caveat to note is that value is based off an assumed solar panel efficiency of 14%. Today, solar panels are 40% to 50% more efficient.

With that in mind, it is reasonable to assume that solar panels have an approximate energy payback period of 1 to 2 years.

If you were offered an investment with a 2-year payback period, would you take it?

Solar Panels & Dirty Electricity

We had previously discussed the role of inverters in solar panels when it comes to converting energy.

The sad news is, this same inverter is also a significant source of dirty electricity.

Dirty electricity, also called electrical noise or dirty power, is a type of EMF pollution caused by electronics that need to change the standard electrical current to function.

It also describes electricity that becomes unusable as it gets trapped inside electrical wiring.

So its the conversion of electricity from solar panels to a more usable type for your home that leads to the production of dirty electricity.

This also happens when different modern devices require greatly varying amounts of electricity.

For instance, some devices might require an electrical system with 60/50 hertz to:

• Use a higher voltage AC
• Convert a 60 hertz AC to a low-voltage DC
• Draw power bursts through switching the electrical current on and off

When this happens, high-frequency voltage transients may occur that lead to dirty electricity.

This electricity then gets stuck in the electrical wiring, which can continue to build up and emit dangerous radiation up to 6 feet away.

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Can You Get Cancer From Solar Power

As I have pointed earlier, solar systems comprise of various components that produce electric current, or electromagnetic fields. Also, some solar cells are known to contain elements or compounds with some levels of toxicities.

These toxins include gallium arsenide and cadmium telluride.

But does this imply that the solar panels have the potential to increase the risk of you getting cancer? The answer to this is no.

What this means is that, although the panels include components that emit varying levels of electromagnetic fields and radiations, they are also within the set limits.

They comply with the standards set up for all electrical devices by the FCC .

The electricity that the solar panels produce is in the form of direct current. This means that the wires used to transport this form of power, do not produce electromagnetic fields, unlike the ones carrying AC power.

And, where AC is being transported, the wires are well coated.

Also, although we mentioned that some solar panels contain materials that can be toxic, most of the solar panels made for homes, are made from safe silicon technology

Therefore, you shouldnt worry yourself too much about the safety of these solar panels. They are indeed safe.

Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition

Many panel manufacturers are focusing on sustainability in the manufacturing process to promote the health of the earth, as well as employees and factory workers involved in the production of their panels. A nonprofit organization known as the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition is leading the pack in advocating for sustainable practices for electronics manufacturers, including solar panel companies. They publish a report known as the Solar Scorecard that evaluates a variety of panel manufacturers on their environmental protection measures, as well as measures for their employees and their communities.

The scorecard uses a few different factors to determine manufacturer ranking on the Solar Scorecard, including emissions tracking, how many toxic materials are included in their modules, water usage in manufacturing, the use of conflict materials , and workers rights.

In the most recent Scorecard, SunPower was given the highest ranking of the companies that responded to the survey, followed closely by SolarWorld, Trina, Aleo, and Jinko.

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Health Risks Of Solar Panels

Solar panels on roof of home

When looking for a house to live in, recently, I noticed that those with solar panels made me VERY ill, within seconds. As I own a rf meter , I began measuring these sorts of homes. What I found was a significant increase in rf radiation inside solar homes, with no other possible sources. I am electrosensitive so I can feel the effects more within seconds. It made me feel dizzy, nauseated, head-achy, and disoriented . I stopped going into homes with solar as a result. I researched the problem more and became alarmed. Little do people know that solar energy systems can be dangerous to their health, due to the EMFs emitted. Just one of scores of health impacts can be increased cancer risk. EMF stands for manmadeelectromagnetic field, such as produce unnatural electric, magnetic, or rf radiation in the environment. Also sometimes referred to as cell phone radiation, high frequency rf radiation falls within the category of microwave radiation. Solar panel systems particularly their inverters are attributed with elevated magnetic fields, with rf radiation and high voltage transients emissions that travel along the wiring in the house, and some of this even travels along the electrical wiring or in the ground outside to neighboring homes.

~Director, Center for Electrosmog Prevention

Silicon Dust From Solar Panels

A solar panels basic component contains pure silicon. Silicon dust is a harmful substance when inhaled, especially over long periods of time. Exposure to this dust can result in a lung disease called silicosis, which causes scar tissue to form in the lungs. This scar tissue reduces the lungs capacity to process oxygen. Solar cells are also made of non-recyclable materials. Therefore, the absence of an environment-friendly way to dispose of non-functioning solar cells could pose a threat to the environment as well.

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Dirty Electricity From Solar Panel Inverters

Now its time to talk about the more pervasive radiation risk that results from solar panel systems: dirty electricity. If you want to read a full guide on dirty electricity, you can do that here, but Ill cover the basics.

Essentially, dirty electricity is un-usable electricity that gets trapped in your electrical wiring. The wiring in your home is likely 60 hertz AC if you live in the United States, and 50 hertz if you live in Europe. This system worked well when most electrical devices used this type of electricity.

However, as modern technology was developed, devices required more, less, or varying amounts of electricity that this system couldnt support. So, when these devices try to use the electricity in a way it wasnt intended, the result is something called high-frequency voltage transients. These result from the erratic surges of power, and they become unusable.

This unusable electricity then gets stuck in your electrical system, radiating EMFs into your home or office.

Dirty electricity is usually generated when devices try to use 60/50 hertz electrical systems in one of a few ways:

The radiation emitted from these wires can be measured up to 6 feet away from the wiring and outlets. If you are electrically sensitive, this is even more of a concern.

Do Solar Panels Cause Cancer

With more and more families shifting to the use of clean solar energy, there is an increased concern on how safe is the use of solar power.

Do solar panels cause cancer? This is one of the major questions that solar power users and prospective users are so eagerly looking for answers.

There is the growing concern of whether the solar panels we install either on our rooftops or our properties have the potential to cause harm to our lives.

And, seeing that they are made of elements that produce electric current and electromagnetic fields, people are getting more concerned.

Well, to answer this question, let us go through this article together and see how solar panels work and if they pose any danger to our lives.

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Rooftop Solar Should Expose You To Less Emr Than Other Devices

Are you reading this on a laptop or a mobile phone? Well you are almost certainly being exposed to more EMR from the device than your rooftop solar system. Lights, TVs, refrigerators everything electrical in your home exposes you to EMR when its on. Even if you switch off everything in your house live electrical cables will still be emitting some EMR. Its everywhere and the only way to completely avoid it from artificial sources is to do without electrical items and in that case you wont be needing rooftop solar.

Your other appliances are likely to expose you to much more EMR because you probably spend far more time close to them than you do hugging your inverter. You arent likely to receive much EMR from Solar panels because, while the electrons in AC cabling are constantly wriggling back and forth 50 times a second and creating EMR at a frequency of 50 hertz, DC current doesnt do this and instead forms a static electric field at 0 Hertz and so should produce very little EMR. Sure, youll still be walking through this static field, but the device you are reading this on also produces one, so unless you are willing to fling it away because you dont want to take the tiny risk it will harm you, I wouldnt worry too much about it.

Diverse Applications And Benefits

Another major advantage of solar energy is that it is the chameleon of power. Besides providing electricity through PV panels, sunlight can be converted into heat and solar energy materials can even be incorporated into buildings, as windows for example. Even when just considering solar electricity, large panels can power an entire school in Buenos Aires or a doctors office in Nairobi. Because solar panels can also be used to distill water in areas where clean water is rare, solar energy has the potential to make a life-altering impact on communities all over the world.

READ MORE:How a Teen Inventor Plans to Change the Worlds Access to Clean Water

Hopper also points out: One in every 50 new jobs created in 2016 were in solar. Today, the solar industry employs 260,000 Americans across the country. An investment in clean technology benefits our friends, our neighbors, our communities, our country, and, in turn, our planet.

If you want to make a difference in the world, maybe you should add work in the solar power industry to your list of possible future careers.

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The Health Risks Of Rf Radiation

First, letâs talk about RF radiation. The word radiation sometimes causes fear because it conjures up images of nuclear bombs and powerful x-rays. But scientifically, radiation covers a wide spectrum, including harmless radio waves and visible light.

Electromagnetic radiation, broadly speaking, consists of photons in motion. Photons at different frequencies take on different characteristics. At one frequency, photons make up the radiation that we call visible light. Thatâs right: that pretty rainbow you in the sky after it rains is made of electromagnetic radiation.

Reduce the frequency of that light, and it becomes radio waves. Harmless stuff. Increase the frequency, and it becomes ultraviolet light. Its at this point when EM radiation becomes energenic enough to cause health problems. Long enough exposure to UV light will cause sunburns and eventually skin cancer.

Increase the frequency of that light beam of light further, and it becomes ionizing radiation: x-rays and gamma rays. This is the type of radiation associated with nuclear bombs and emitted by the sun . At low doses this type of radiation is harmless, and is used in applications such as dental x-rays. At high doses, it causes cellular damage and cancer.

Solar Panels Health And Safety

Do solar panels cause cancer? What are the health concerns about solar panels? Do they contain toxins?

Well, to understand this better, let us explore deeper on what constitutes the solar panels.

Typically, solar panels technology is divided into two main categories. These include:

• Silicon cells, and
• The thin-film technology

Crystalline silicon cells are the most commonly used ones for the home solar panels. They are mainly made from rocks and sand, which means that they are non-toxic.

However, some may say that the solar panels contain some amount of lead necessary for wiring. Well, while this is true, the amount of lead is minimal and is also encased by a sturdy glass and aluminum case. The casing helps to ensure that the lead is not exposed to humans.

As for the thin-film panels, they have a completely different technology from the silicon ones. Instead of using silicon, these types of panels use various compounds which may be toxic. However, thin-film technology is not mostly designed for residential application.

Some of the toxic elements used in thin-film technology include cadmium and gallium. Cadmium is usually a waste product during mining and therefore, using it in the solar panel production does not necessitate to more mining for the component.

The good thing in the thin-film technology is that the elements are completely sealed using aluminum and glass frame.

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Are There Rules In Place To Regulate This

Inverters are like many other devices we’re surrounded with and that we use daily. This is how the FCC puts it:

Digital technology is used virtually everywhere. Coffee pots, wrist watches, automobiles, cash registers, personal computers, telephones, and thousands of other types of common electronic equipment rely on digital technology to function. At any time of the day, most people are within a few meters of consumer products that use digital technology.

The FCC has rules in place that regulate electronic devices. Inverters often comply with the FCC rules Part 15 Class B. The technical standards for Class B equipment are stricter than those for Class A as Class B equipment can be used anywhere in a residential setting.

Solar Panel Ehs Tests And Certifications

Reading the product label for your solar panel will tell you about the worker and environmental safety certifications that the product has undergone. While certifications are no guarantee, they are a valuable tool to help make sure that your product is manufactured with a high standard.

In addition, you will typically find numerous standards for fire and electrical safety, and other performance standards.

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How That Relates To The Smart Meter

Now that we understand how dirty electricity from inverters is produced, lets touch on the effect of smart meters.

I mentioned that it can be a source of dangerous EMFs, but how exactly?

Well, first of all, smart meters are utility meters that are used to track the usage of data as well as transmit information regarding data use through wireless connections.

Theyre convenient and beloved by utility companies because they no longer need their workers to read meters manually.

However, when that transmission of data occurs, smart meters emit huge amounts of dangerous RF radiation that can penetrate through the bodies of those exposed to it.

The silver lining is that not all solar panels are connected to smart meters and thats the kind you want to go for.

However, if you choose to sell the surplus of energy that you obtain, youll most likely be required to use a smart meter and will therefore be at risk of exposure to the radiation it emits.

Home Solar Power Source

Home solar electrical power generation is completely safe. The electricity produced by your home solar power system is no different than the electricity you get from your utility company. The only difference is the source:

• From your utility company your power comes from a power pole or underground line and is hooked into your home via a breaker box.
• From a home solar system your electricity is produced, in most cases, by roof-top solar panels and tied into the same breaker box.

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Why Heart Rate Variability

HRV is the naturally occurring change in the time intervals between adjacent pairs of heartbeats. It provides an actual physiological measurement of human autonomic nervous system activity and dynamics. So, when participants HRV increased or decreased, researchers could make corresponding determinations of how their autonomic nervous systems were being influenced, or changing as well.

One of the findings suggested, for example, that parasympathetic nervous system activity is enhanced during periods of increased solar radio flux and cosmic rays.

The researchers note in their writing that “a previous study also found that an increase in solar radio flux index was associated with lower fatigue, increased positive affect, and mental clarity, while increased SWS had the opposite effects.”

It is important to understand, as the study explains and HeartMath research has shown, each individuals level of HRV is critical in their overall health.

“Low levels of age-adjusted HRV indicate chronic stress, pathology, or inadequate functioning in various levels of regulatory control systems in the neuroaxis , and is predictive of all-cause mortality.

There were strong positive correlations between cosmic rays and HRV variables, suggesting a beneficial response to increases in cosmic rays.