In an article released last weekend via The Washington Post, it was revealed that some solar firms in China are dumping toxic waste outside villages; a result of of lax environmental regulations and a breakneck race to profits. Efforts to recycle or properly dispose of byproducts from production are deemed either too expensive or simply ignored. From the article,
The byproduct of polysilicon production — silicon tetrachloride — is a highly toxic substance that poses environmental hazards. Because of this, polysilicon companies in the developed world recycle the compound, putting it back into the production process. But the high investment costs and time, not to mention the enormous energy consumption required for heating the substance to more than 1800 degrees Fahrenheit for the recycling, have discouraged many factories in China from doing the same. Like Luoyang Zhonggui, other solar plants in China have not installed technology to prevent pollutants from getting into the environment or have not brought those systems fully online, industry sources say.
While it generally takes about two years to get a polysilicon plant up and running, by cutting corners Chinese firms are looking to do it in half that time or less. Obviously, the environmental damages associated with his loss of quality control far outweigh any of the advantages of producing green energy. Until the Chinese government actually regulates such activities, villages and the people who dwell within them are at risk. “It’s poison air. Sometimes it gets so bad you can’t sit outside. You have to close all the doors and windows,” said one 28-year-old villager. Truly, not the green, clean world promoted by such firms.
