"Spotsylvania Solar Energy Center" Panels Contain Cadmium

The 1.8 million photovoltaic solar panels will contain approximately 100,000 pounds of Cadmium, which is a highly toxic carcinogen.

• Here's what Wiki has to say about exposure to Cadmium.
• WebMD offers a large collection of articles on exposure to Cadmium.

OSHA Standards

Here's information from OSHA regarding Cadmium exposure:

• sPower denies any health risk from the Cadmium in the panels, but scientific studies show that leaching of Cadmium from broken panels occurs over time. Scientific studies show very high quantities of Cadmium can leach out in a few months in acidic conditions. Our soil and Virginia clay are acidic, so rapid and thorough cleanup of any damaged Cadmium-containing panels is critical.

• sPower recently stated that they will use some MonoPERC panels, which are crystalline silicon and do not contain any Cadmium. The MonoPERC panels are 10-20% more efficient than the CdTe panels, so they will require less land (hundreds of acres less). However, they are more expensive. It should be noted that the risks associated with Cadmium would be eliminated -- if sPower used more environmentally friendly panels.

• Toxic chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides should be carefully controlled and only applied by certified professionals.

• Cleaning agents may also be toxic to the environment. sPower indicates that cleaning agents will not be used, as such would void their warranties on solar panels.

“DO NO HARM”

Severe Weather

• Severe weather such as a tornado, hurricane, or derecho -- now somewhat common occurrences in central Virginia, and typically accompanied by heavy rains -- could cause widespread destruction of solar panels and subsequent leaching of Cadmium, followed by toxic and carcinogenic runoff into Spotsylvania's water supply.

• sPower has not produced any scientific reports that show what happens to the Cadmium contained in solar panels during such a catastrophic event. We know that tornados and hurricanes have hit large solar plants - where are the scientific reports of what was found, and how it was cleaned up?

DERECHO

• This derecho came through the Mid-Atlantic in May, 2018. Another hit Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania in June 2018, "with Spotsylvania, Caroline and Culpeper counties being the hardest hit".

EARTHQUAKE

• In May 2011, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast. The epicenter was in Mineral, VA -- 20 miles from the proposed sPower plant in Spotsylvania. The WASHINGTON POST reported:
  • "The earthquake was the strongest recorded east of the Rocky Mountains since 1944 and the strongest ever recorded in central Virginia’s seismic zone.
  • “For a geologist, the 2011 earthquake was unequivocally one of the most geologically and historically significant moments in the Commonwealth,” said Virginia state geologist David Spears.
  • "It’s believed that the quake was the most widely felt in the history of the United States with up to one third of the population rocking and rolling on that sunny work day. It was also felt all the way in Canada.
  • "There were dozens of aftershocks, one a 4.5-magnitude, which struck in the middle of the night, startling this reporter out of his slumber."

The Washington Post, August 23, 2016

LIGHTNING

• Consider the possibility of a lightning strike and fire. The site will have hundreds of thousands of steel piles driven in the ground attached to metal frames - magnets for lightning. This in an area the size of Fredericksburg with a few gravel roads, no fire hydrants, no fire station. How will our emergency responders be able to handle it?

Tornado

• Extreme natural events such as those above, as well as high winds, hail, forest fires, etc., could damage the solar panels and lead to the catastrophic release of toxins into the air, soil and water.

• An Emergency Response Plan is needed to 1) ensure emergency responders are prepared to handle the dangerous situations, 2) the public is notified immediately of potential health and safety risks, and 3) funding is readily available to clean up and repair any damage and fully remediate any toxic contamination.

Concerned Citizens therefore has recommended specific conditions be included in the Spotsylvania County Special Use Permit to alleviate these concerns, or at least mitigate any potential impact. Those recommended conditions can be found here:

Special Use Permit Conditions

"DO NO HARM"