No, solar panels aren’t constantly oozing toxins. These and other myths the fossil-fuel industry would like you to believe about solar are easily debunked.

From Bloomberg Opinion (gift link above):

“Solar was still the biggest source of new energy in the US last year, making up 54% of all additions, compared with just 8% for natural gas. Solar and battery storage combined made up 79% of new US energy sources in 2025. But its growth has decelerated, mostly because of President Donald Trump’s [whole-of-government assault](https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-opinion-trump-climate-rollback?srnd=undefined) on clean energy.

“But another factor hurting solar in the US is growing local opposition based on [fears about the impacts](https://www.propublica.org/article/michigan-solar-farms-health-concerns-st-clair-county) of solar farms on human health, ProPublica reported recently. It cited the county of St. Clair, Michigan, which last year [made it harder](https://www.stclaircounty.org/Uploads/BoC/resolutions/2025-13.pdf) to build new solar installations on rural land, citing worries about noise pollution, “visual pollution” and the risk of toxic waste. This decision was based on [memos](https://stclaircounty.org/PageBuilder/scchd/Uploads/20241125%20Memorandum.pdf) from the county [health chief](https://stclaircounty.org/PageBuilder/scchd/Uploads/20250108%20Memorandum%20-%20Copy%201.pdf) suggesting these issues posed “an unreasonable threat to public health.”

“Noise, ugliness and toxic waste are just a few of the health-related worries cited in recent years in Michigan, Ohio and other places to block or slow down solar development. What follows is a somewhat longer, if still only partial, list. Many of these worries are understandable. All of them are easily refuted.”