[ad_1]
An onslaught of hail in southeastern Texas that destroyed massive parts of a massive solar farm is highlighting the perils of buying and selling conventional energy sources for weak “green” options and forcing native officers to allay residents’ considerations about the potential for chemical leaks from the damaged panels.
Aerial footage captured the numerous injury suffered by the Fighting Jays Solar farm in Fort Bend County, Texas. The March 15 storm shattered tons of of panels and prompted close by residents to query if the solar panels had been leaking chemical substances corresponding to cadmium telluride, which is linked to critical well being dangers in people.
“My concern is the hail damage that came through and busted these panels – we now have some highly toxic chemicals that could be potentially leaking into our water tables,” Needville resident Nick Kaminski informed Fox affiliate KRIV-TV. “I have a family – two children and a wife. My neighbors have kids and a lot of other residents in the area who are on well water are concerned that the chemicals are now leaking into our water tables.”
Images captured by Fox affiliate FOX26 Houston KRIV present in depth injury to Fighting Jays Solar in Fort Bend County, Texas. (FOX26 Houston KRIV)
The Fort Bend County Environmental Health Department is investigating the incident and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has additionally been contacted relating to any potential chemical contamination, Needville Mayor Chad Nesvadba informed Fox News Digital. Fort Bend County officers did not reply to a number of requests for remark.
Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, represents the neighborhood surrounding the solar farm and is engaged with these whose houses, companies and property had been destroyed by the storm, in line with spokesperson Emily Matthews, who famous the incident underscores the significance of an “all-of-the-above” strategy to vitality coverage.
CALIFORNIA’S GRID FACES COLLAPSE AS LEADERS PUSH RENEWABLES, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, EXPERTS SAY
“As far as solar farms being damaged where hail and tornadoes are common, those companies knowingly run the risk of building solar panel farms in these areas,” Matthews informed Fox News Digital. “Events like this underscore the importance of having an all-of-the-above energy approach to meet our energy needs and showcase how our country cannot solely rely on or fully transition to renewable energy sources like this.”
Denmark-based Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, the father or mother firm of the Fighting Jays Solar mission’s developer, AP Solar Holdings, confirmed the storm had taken out a lot of the farm, however there was presently no danger to the close by neighborhood of chemical publicity.
Local resident Nick Kaminski pictured throughout an interview with Fox affiliate FOX26 Houston KRIV. (FOX26 Houston KRIV)
“On March 15th, a hailstorm caused solar panel damage to Fighting Jays Solar, a 350 MW project located in Fort Bend County, Texas,” CIP informed Fox News Digital in an announcement. “We are currently assessing the extent of the impact of the storm on the generation of the project, while the plant continues to safely operate at a reduced capacity.”
It added: “The silicon-based panels contain no cadmium telluride and we have identified no risk to the local community or the environment.”
BERKELEY ABANDONS LANDMARK NATURAL GAS BAN AFTER COURT BATTLE
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees the state’s energy grid, mentioned it was conscious of the scenario, however had not recognized any grid reliability considerations. The Texas Public Utilities Commission added that it has but to obtain any experiences about the incident.
Still, Daniel Turner, the chief director of vitality watchdog group Power the Future, mentioned the storm’s influence may foreshadow future threats to the U.S. energy grid if the nation transitions to a heavy reliance on solar vitality.
Rep. Troy Nehls, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, throughout a June 6, 2023, listening to. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc by way of Getty Images)
“There’s this enormous shell game happening by the Biden administration, by the environmental left, presenting wind and solar as perfectly green, clean, and carbon-neutral,” Turner informed Fox News Digital. “They use all of these buzzwords. But they’re none of that and they also have enormous drawbacks. And it’s doing the American people a great disservice to obfuscate these very obvious shortcomings.”
He famous that, as a result of solar panels are largely manufactured in China, the destruction of solar farms may very well be leveraged in geopolitical disputes between the U.S. and China.
“Why would we expect them to race to our aid when our grid is down nationwide, and they are the ones holding the goods that we need to get back up?” Turner mentioned.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fighting Jays Solar got here on-line in July 2022 and spans greater than 3,000 acres, in line with AP Solar Holdings. It is situated about 40 miles from downtown Houston.
The destruction of the mission, in the meantime, comes because the nation broadly races to exchange current fossil gasoline energy with inexperienced vitality options. But these plans have been criticized by specialists who warn of these vitality sources’ reliance on sure windy and sunny climate circumstances.
[ad_2]
Source hyperlink