The Mounting Pollution Problem Caused by Intermittent Solar and Wind Energy Falsely Billing Itself as “Clean”

Guest Post from CFact.

CFACT Senior Policy Analyst Dr. Bonner Cohen told a packed hearing room in the Maine State Capitol Building March 6 that wind and solar projects should be subject to strict monitoring and rigorous testing to safeguard the public against toxic chemical contaminations. Wind turbines and solar panels contain troubling levels of toxic Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) chemicals.

When leached into soil, groundwater, and other parts of the environment, Dr. Cohen explained, PFAS can pose a significant public health risk, along with long-lasting environmental degradation. Before Maine undertakes a massive expansion of wind turbines (onshore and offshore) and solar panel arrays, measures need to be in place to provide early warning of potential harm, he pointed out.

Testimony of Dr. Bonner Cohen for the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) before the Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee, Maine State Legislature, March 6, 2025

Thank you very much for the opportunity to address the important topic of potential PFAS contamination from wind turbines and solar panels. The Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow researches, among other things, the environmental impact of all sources of energy, from fossil fuels, to nuclear, to renewables.

Our focus today is on wind and solar power, specifically in conjunction with legislation proposed by Rep. Reagan Paul that requires the developer of a solar power development or wind power development to conduct testing for PFAS contamination at the development site in accordance with rules adopted by the Department of Environmental Protection.

The issue addressed by Rep. Paul’s initiative is not hypothetical, it is real. These chemicals are toxic and can build up in the environment, including soil and groundwater, and in humans, including the bloodstream. Once environmental contamination takes place, remediation is almost impossible. PFAS do not break down easily. Not for nothing are they known as “forever chemicals.” They are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and by all state environmental agencies.

And, they are present in wind turbines and solar panels. Because wind turbines and solar panels cannot be commercially recycled, once they reach the end of the — short (15 to 20 years) — life expectancy, they wind up in landfills. As more and more wind turbines and solar panels are removed from service and deposited in landfills by the hundreds of thousands, their accumulation and that of their PFAS will pose a significant environmental and public health challenge.

Of even greater concern is the potential for PFAS leaching on site of the intermittent energy generation. Wind and solar power are land-intensive. Hundreds of PFAS-laden wind turbines are found on each wind installation. Even the smallest solar arrays contain thousands of PFAS-laden solar panels. The potential for harm at these sites cannot be understated.

By requiring third-party testing at each site, Rep. Paul has put her finger on the only way to catch PFAS contamination before it has time to spread. In cancer, early detection followed by proper treatment can save lives. Early and repeated testing for PFAS at wind and solar sites can also preemptively limit the damage PFAS contamination can cause. And if it is determined that contamination was caused by a wind or solar project, then state officials need to consider shutting down the site altogether.

Dozens of farms in Maine have recently been forced to go out of business because of PFAS contamination. That contamination did not come from wind turbines or solar panels but from wastewater sludge spread on cropland as fertilizer.

Farmers were told the practice was safe. It was not. Wind and solar developers say their PFAS pose no threat. Really? One Maine farmer who lost his farm to PFAS is reportedly considering allowing thousands of solar panels to be installed on his otherwise useless land. He may be exchanging one source of PFAS contamination for another.

By establishing a rigorous PFAS testing regime on wind and solar sites, one backed up by the real threat of enforcement to the point of the developer potentially losing its license to operate, Maine is setting an example the rest of the nation should follow. As wind and solar installation spread, the nation will have to confront a mounting pollution problem caused by an – intermittent – energy source falsely billing itself as “clean.”

#PFAS #Landfills #Solar #CFact #BonnerCohen #Maine #Wind

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