Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Oops, Giant Hail Destroys Large Portions of 3,000-Acre Texas Solar Farm, Residents Fear Chemical Leak
Red State ^ | 03/27/24 | Bob Hoge

Posted on 03/27/2024 9:25:10 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

A 3,000-acre solar farm 40 miles from Houston, Texas, was massively damaged on March 15 when huge chunks of hail fell from the sky and shattered hundreds of panels, leaving the facility running at “reduced capacity.” 

From the look of the pictures, it would seem that it’s operating at heavily reduced capacity.

A hailstorm this month has damaged thousands of solar panels at the 350-MW Fighting Jays Solar Farm in Fort Bend County, Texas, “Golf ball”-sized hail fell in the area on March 15, and aerial footage captured from a helicopter offered a glimpse at the extent of the damage pic.twitter.com/3G4SkaRTLI— Nika4h (@nikit2h) March 27, 2024

Not only does the storm highlight the fragility of so-called green energy facilities, but area residents are worried about toxic chemical leaks. Needville resident Nick Kaminski spoke with a local television affiliate:

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.

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.

The company denies there is any risk of chemical exposure. 

Video from the air shows what appears to be catastrophic damage to the plant:

BREAKING: Hail storm in Damon texas on 3/24/24 destroys 1,000’s of acres of solar farms.

Who pays to fix this green energy? @StateFarm? @FarmBureau@Allstate?

Or you the taxpayer? pic.twitter.com/GpNSaopObZ— Corey Thompson (@Roughneck2real) March 25, 2024

Meanwhile, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), who represents the area, emphasized that the technology needed for us to rely solely on green energy is not here yet, and we will put ourselves in danger if we switch to it altogether before we’re ready:

"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 told 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."

Daniel Turner, the executive director of energy watchdog group Power the Future, was even more emphatic about the need to proceed carefully with solar power:

"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 told 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 noted that, because solar panels are largely manufactured in China, the destruction of solar farms could 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 said.

The incident shows once again that we are a long way from being able to safely rely on running the country solely on renewables. Perhaps someday we’ll get there—but we’ve got a long way to go, despite what the Biden/Kerry/Doom Pixie crowd tells us.


See also:

An Inconvenient Truth—EVs Emit More Particulate Matter Than Gas-Powered Vehicles, According to Report

Covering the US With Solar Panels to Meet Our Electrical Needs Is Worse Than You Might Think

Solar and Wind Power Comes at Huge Cost in Habitat



TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: climatechange; ecoterrorism; energy; greennewdeal; haildamage; hailstorm; solar; solarpanels; texas; weather
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-40 last
To: mewzilla
It just gets better and better. From 2017...

Leaching of cadmium and tellurium from cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar panels under simulated landfill conditions

21 posted on 03/28/2024 3:23:41 AM PDT by mewzilla (Never give up; never surrender!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind; waterhill
From the EPA website……

Hazardous waste testing on solar panels in the marketplace has indicated that different varieties of solar panels have different metals present in the semiconductor and solder. Some of these metals, like lead and cadmium, are harmful to human health and the environment at high levels. If these metals are present in high enough quantities in the solar panels, solar panel waste could be a hazardous waste under RCRA. Some solar panels are considered hazardous waste, and some are not, even within the same model and manufacturer. Homeowners with solar panels on their houses should contact their state/local recycling agencies for more information on disposal/recycling.

22 posted on 03/28/2024 3:49:38 AM PDT by Envisioning (Carry safe, always carry, everyday, everywhere.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Envisioning

I’m sure the Chinese only use environmentally friendly materials…/S


23 posted on 03/28/2024 3:50:42 AM PDT by Envisioning (Carry safe, always carry, everyday, everywhere.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: metmom

My family just watched this free movie on the climate change scam. It’s one of the tactics one works government is using to take control of its all.

It features environmental scientists discussing true climate science. They discuss the climate scam in depth and what happens to those who speak truth.

The scam reminds me a lot of how the covid mRNA injection scam is run. There’s so much delusion loose in this world these days.
......................................

Free movie is out exposing the climate change/globull warming scam.
https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2024/03/21/spread-the-word-climate-the-movie-out-today-online-for-free-and-its-terrific-n3785115


24 posted on 03/28/2024 4:39:21 AM PDT by ViLaLuz (2 Chronicles 7:14)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: july4thfreedomfoundation
C’mon, Texas. Use the oil and natural gas that God blessed you with. The hell with the Chinese made crappy solar panels.

My solar panels were made in Texas. I like decentralized solar (a person installing solar for his own needs). But it’s dumb for the left to make the grid depend on solar. The grid is supposed to be dependable power.

25 posted on 03/28/2024 4:39:28 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Solar farms are an environmental nightmare and eyesore, much like the wind farms .


26 posted on 03/28/2024 5:06:44 AM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

This isn’t the first time this has happened and it won’t be the last. Wind and solar are very important and we need to protect them. I think we should put them underground where they would be safe. If we can save just one valuable panel it would be worth it.


27 posted on 03/28/2024 5:14:51 AM PDT by EandH Dad (sleeping giants wake up REALLY grumpy)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Solar panels will never replace dams or power plants. Beside damage from hail and being covered in snow, solar panels have to be kept clean! Can you imagine the time and effort to keep all those solar panels clean..int Texas?


28 posted on 03/28/2024 5:24:21 AM PDT by CIB-173RDABN (I am not an expert in anything, and my opinion is just that, an opinion. I may be wrong.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

The same thing happened last year in the South - the land is now so polluted no food crops can ever be grown on it. Many here challenge the notion that solar panels pollute the land when broken.


29 posted on 03/28/2024 5:33:27 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wjcsux

“A hail storm in south Texas? Who didn’t see that coming?”

We bought our house in North Texas in late 1996, after hail season. We are on our 5th roof. They were all taken out by hailstorms with golf-ball sized or larger hail.

Anyone building a solar farm in Texas that will not withstand at least golf-ball sized hail should be investigated for criminal negligence if government or shareholder funds were used.


30 posted on 03/28/2024 5:38:54 AM PDT by Cincinnatus.45-70 (What do DemocRats enjoy more than a truckload of dead babies? Unloading them with a pitchfork!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Tell It Right

I think solar is stupid even on houses, unless the homeowner bears the entire cost himself.

I am considering it for the Overlanding camper I have on order, simply to charge my battery power pack to run the refrigerator and a couple lights.


31 posted on 03/28/2024 5:57:33 AM PDT by cyclotic (Don’t be part of the problem. Be the entire problem)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Most people have no idea how destructive and costly hail can be. Farmers that live areas prone to hail storms well appreciate the devastation that can be wrought by even small hail. Many huge solar farms are located in zones where sunlight exposure is maximized; however, the same areas are also subject to thunderstorms in the spring and summer which can produce large hail.


32 posted on 03/28/2024 6:09:06 AM PDT by Rlsau1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cyclotic
I agree 100% that the solar tax credit and such should be done away with. The government has no business being involved in coercion in any way. Plus, it doesn't help the consumer anyway because it artificially inflates the price the consumer pays (just like tax incentives in other industries do, such as college tuition).

That being said, solar for the home can be done well in certain situations if the homeowner does his homework. In the past 366 days, 80.6% of the power my all-electric home consumed came from homemade power. That includes charging the EV for 15K miles at home, of the 27K miles we drove it. It's cost prohibitive to try to make the home 100% energy self-reliant. But with me having to buy only about 25% of my energy (the 19% of my power I pull from the grid, plus gas for what little we drive the gas pickup around town, plus either power or gas for whichever car we take on trips)... that basically means that the Dims' warmageddon cult energy policies impact my budget only 25% as much. It's motivated my wife and me to try to be more self-reliant in other ways. Such as, we garden more. And we're thinking about a water capture system.

33 posted on 03/28/2024 6:19:07 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Tell It Right

And we’re thinking about a water capture system.

*********

Would that include peeing in a bucket to save it
for later usages?


34 posted on 03/28/2024 6:31:01 AM PDT by deport
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: deport

We’re not into that kind of kink LOL


35 posted on 03/28/2024 6:40:35 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

Texas Solar Farms

..

An off shore in the Gulf of Mexico.

36 posted on 03/28/2024 6:49:34 AM PDT by deport
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

And when that big yellow ball of heat and light goes down for the night the solar farm produces zero electricity..


37 posted on 03/28/2024 7:04:18 AM PDT by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wjcsux

We need a huuuuuge Dome cover that sun gets thru but no hail. /s
Yep, Byedone’s next agenda to destroy America.
We’ll have to pay more for the solar- nuts.


38 posted on 03/28/2024 7:50:26 AM PDT by TribalPrincess2U (Bye done!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Tell It Right

Silly questions and theories:

Garden’s will be outlawed. Some already are.
Rain water barrels will probably be outlawed. On and on.

Is water recycled? Water goes up and water comes down, right?
Where does the evaporated water go? Can it leave earth’s atmosphere?

What’s still in that rain water? Everything bad?

They’re already talking about our water supplies being threatened from with-in
by newcomers. All nationalities. And we thought Mexico was bad. Now look what Byedone/rinos have put upon us!


39 posted on 03/28/2024 8:11:49 AM PDT by TribalPrincess2U (Bye done!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: alexander_busek

Yes, I know, I’m saying this version is (imo) a better depiction.


40 posted on 03/28/2024 9:20:44 AM PDT by knarf (I talk to much to be in jeapordy.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-40 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson