FPL officials talk solar panel durability and environmental effects

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.

“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.

“They’ve been tested through hurricanes and they stand up exceptionally well. If something were to hit that, nothing breaks or shatters, no debris comes out. It all maintains its integrity and everything about the panel stays encompassed and encapsulated within itself,” Hastings said.

Hastings said solar panels don’t break often because they’re located in rural areas, minimizing storm debris. Plus, they’re made of durable material.

“Aluminum, glass, and copper are really what make up the primary components of our solar panels. The material that’s used to generate electricity is behind two layers of plastic and then another layer of tempered glass,” Hastings added.

Most solar panel materials can also be recycled. Parts that can’t are disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.

“We work with vendors throughout the United States to be able to recycle these solar panels. They are always following the necessary state and federal guidelines that are required during that recycling process,” Hastings said.

FPL currently operates 63 solar energy centers statewide and is building 2 more, one in Walton County, and the other in Calhoun County.

Hastings said he can’t speak to the Texas incident that happened earlier this year. However, he insists contamination would not be an issue here.

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