BAY COUNTY, Fla. ( WMBB ) – A Texas hailstorm in March damaged hundreds of solar panels and sparked questions about potential hazardous materials contaminating the environment. Florida Power & Light officials say the chemicals are harder to extract than you think.
Several layers of material prevent the chemicals from seeping out, and they are built to withstand severe weather.
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“There’s no concern about chemical components leaching into the soil or the groundwater,” Florida Power and Light spokesperson Marshall Hastings said.
Officials also said their solar panels are environmentally friendly.
“We work around those facilities to be able to respect the natural environment, maintain the natural environment, but also be able to provide reliable electricity for our customers,” Hastings said.
Some worry that broken solar panels could release toxic chemicals and negatively impact the environment, but Hastings said that’s not the case.