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NC CLEAN ENERGY <br />jhj <br />� TECHNOLOGY CENTER <br />Health and Safety Impacts of Solar Photovoltaics <br />The increasing presence of utility -scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems (sometimes referred to as <br />solar farms) is a rather new development in North Carolina's landscape. Due to the new and unknown <br />nature of this technology, it is natural for communities near such developments to be concerned about <br />health and safety impacts. Unfortunately, the quick emergence of utility -scale solar has cultivated fertile <br />grounds for myths and half-truths about the health impacts of this technology, which can lead to <br />unnecessary fear and conflict. <br />Photovoltaic (PV) technologies and solar inverters are not known to pose any significant health <br />dangers to their neighbors. The most important dangers posed are increased highway traffic during the <br />relative short construction period and dangers posed to trespassers of contact with high voltage equipment. <br />This latter risk is mitigated by signage and the security measures that industry uses to deter trespassing. <br />As will be discussed in more detail below, risks of site contamination are much less than for most other <br />industrial uses because PV technologies employ few toxic chemicals and those used are used in very small <br />quantities. Due to the reduction in the pollution from fossil -fuel -fired electric generators, the overall <br />impact of solar development on human health is overwhelmingly positive. This pollution reduction results <br />from a partial replacement of fossil -fuel fired generation by emission -free PV -generated electricity, which <br />reduces harmful sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NO,,), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Analysis <br />from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, both <br />affiliates of the U.S. Department of Energy, estimates the health-related air quality benefits to the southeast <br />region from solar PV generators to be worth 8.0 ¢ per kilowatt-hour of solar generation..' This is in addition <br />to the value of the electricity and suggests that the air quality benefits of solar are worth more than the <br />electricity itself. <br />Even though we have only recently seen large-scale installation of PV technologies, the technology <br />and its potential impacts have been studied since the 1950s. A combination of this solar -specific research <br />and general scientific research has led to the scientific community having a good understanding of the <br />science behind potential health and safety impacts of solar energy. This paper utilizes the latest scientific <br />literature and knowledge of solar practices in N.C. to address the health and safety risks associated with <br />solar PV technology. These risks are extremely small, far less than those associated with common <br />activities such as driving a car, and vastly outweighed by health benefits of the generation of clean <br />electricity. <br />This paper addresses the potential health and safety impacts of solar PV development in North <br />Carolina, organized into the following four categories: <br />(1) Hazardous Materials <br />(2) Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) <br />(3) Electric Shock and Arc Flash <br />(4) Fire Safety <br />