Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Making solar panels sustainably: Niagara Falls to power new Solarworks plant

Niagara Falls. Image credit: State University of New York What is the ultimate green solar panel?

A true-green solar panel must have the following characteristics: design life of major components of equal length (functionality lasts as long as the shortest-lived component); renewable energy used to produce the energy-intensive materials as much as possible (silicon slices, backsheets, aluminum frames, etc.); green chemistry used to produce components and adhesives; and, finished panels easy enough to disassemble that recycling is cost-effective. With that as background, I have good news on one of the four listed precepts. The New York State Power Authority has "awarded a large block of low-cost hydropower to a fledgling California company that plans to build a plant in Western New York to manufacture solar panels." …

Making Solar Panels Sustainably: Niagara Falls To Power New Solarworks Plant

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