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Until a large residential community just outside of Fort Mill, SC learned that the Canadian Silfab solar panel manufacturing plant intended to move into our community and set up shop 1300 feet from two new schools that will contain 2500 students, most of us would have told you that we thought solar power was a good thing. None of us had a clue at the time that green energy production requires some of the most toxic chemicals and produces some of the most toxic AIR pollutants you can find; with some that can kill or permanently injure you with just a small exposure. The raw materials used are heavily dependent on China and child labor for production of these solar panels.
Since this would be the first solar panel manufacturing business in South Carolina, many residents started digging into what solar panel production meant and what was involved. We were stunned at the toxic and explosive chemicals they intended to bring into an area built as a distribution center zoned as light industrial.
DHEC held a public hearing on Oct 30th, 2023 where a large number of people in the community came out to oppose and question the wisdom of putting something so toxic next to two new public schools, right behind the DMV and within a 2-mile radius of a senior community and large residential communities and nearby retail centers.
Toxic Chemicals
The next course of action is to see whether DHEC will approve their air pollution permit which would include approving these and other toxic chemicals being put into our air:
Toluene – It is a DHEC Category 3 pollutant, the most dangerous category of all. DHEC’s definition of Category 3 pollutant – high toxicity – those pollutants which may cause chronic effects that result in death or permanent injury after very short exposure to small amounts. The plant will use 132 gallons per year of Toluene with an unknown amount kept on site.
Hydrogen Fluoride (HF)– a very poisonous, highly irritating, and corrosive colorless gas. It is fatal when inhaled, swallowed, or comes in contact with the skin. It is a DHEC Category 3 pollutant. Two 7,925-gallon tanks of HF will be refilled weekly. The Fire Dept. requires a ½ mile evacuation radius. HF will be released at 88% of the concentration limit, assuming Silfab’s estimates are correct.
Silane – a highly flammable, colorless, pyrophoric, toxic gas with a sharp pungent smell. Silane will be stored on-site in a 22,983-gallon tank (unknown total use). It is highly explosive and “may explode when exposed to air”. This plant is of major concern if you have school children. This plant is only 1300 feet (about ¼ mile) from two new schools with 2500 children. The Fire Department’s ERG (emergency response guide) shows the minimum evacuation radius as one mile assuming the tank is about 8,000 gallons. Silfab’s tank is 3 times that size. So, should the evacuation radius be 3 miles?
Additional air pollutants will include the following:
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Silfab is projected to release the threshold limit of 100 tons per year into our air.
Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) – Even though HCl is a category 1 pollutant; the 8.21 tons per year is 82% of the allowable threshold volume of any single toxic pollutant that would cause Silfab to be classified as a major source of pollution.
No one knows what the combined effect of the cocktail of pollutants that will be released into our air will be. As we know, air does not stay in one place and will move around our community. The children in the schools next door will be breathing this toxic cocktail daily while at school and if they live nearby they could be breathing this toxic cocktail 24/7.
Each of these toxic pollutants are regulated individually. No one knows what the combined effect of the cocktail would be if there was an explosion of one tank that would likely lead to the explosion of all tanks. The pollutants that are planned are highly toxic and explosive and clearly belong in an industrial area with at least a 1-mile buffer where the public is protected from any mishap or breakdown of equipment.
One final note, what about all the trucks that will be required to deliver these deadly chemicals on our roads? That plant is only 2 miles from Carowinds, an enormous amusement park and the trucks must come through the most congested roads in Fort Mill to refill the tanks. Has anyone really thought this through? We need some good old fashioned common sense to put a stop to this nightmare.
Thank you for this thorough and brutally honest assessment of the risk of these solar panel factories. Most people aren’t aware of how toxic these places are. While I’m not a “greeny” at all, I do have common sense and I know that these types of facilities should be treated with the utmost care. This type of manufacturing has mostly been done overseas due to the strong environmental laws in our country. We need to be sure that the manufacturer is a good steward of our natural resources and respects the land and people around them. This type of manufacturing makes fossil fuels look better and better.
My heart sinks when I think about what could happen to destroy our beautiful community and the thousands of people who live here. Those at Silfab have kept undercover all the toxic chemicals they need for production and couldnt care less how it effects those living here. If God forbid we have an explosion, they will run back to Canada and leave cleanup to our county. We can only imagine the devastation that would be left behind.
They tried to tell us how high the chances of that ever happening, but we have seen so many of these accidents happening all over our country, one not that long ago in Gastonia. There has to be an industrial park away from any heavy populated area they can operate out of why take chances with so many lives not to mention all the traffic on our Interstate a catastrophe would cause as its less than a mile from this building. Our politicians didn’t do their due diligence in getting this deal off the table.
There may genuinely be a small chance of the accidents happening naturally. However, with the influx of millions of illegal immigrants from who-knows-where there are sure to be some bad actors among them. Sabotage could be devastating with these kinds of factories among us.
One must question why Gov. McMaster welcomed Silfab Solar into SC to begin with. His effusive celebration of this manufacturing company as being partnered with SC is listed right on Silfab’s website, with Fort Mill being praised as Sifab’s “flagship” facility. Was Gov. McMaster not at all aware that Silfab brings with it the most toxic chemicals to humanity, air, water and environment? Would Gov. McMaster be comfortable with his own home being under 1 mile away from this toxic-emissions-producing manufacturing plant, as are thousands of households with stone’s throw of this facility in Fort Mill? York County Commission needs to take a look at the DHEC documents which detail the problematic and alarming initiative they approved for their county.
I know McMaster is trying hard to take advantage of the solar and electric vehicle boom and there are multiple facilities all over the state that are related to those industries. There is a battery recycling plant opening near Charleston and that’s a messy business as well. Not sure of the proximity to civilization. You can read about it here. https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/14/23509031/redwood-materials-ev-battery-recycling-factory
There are other similar businesses all over the state as well.
York County Council made it clear at their meeting during which they voted 4 to 3 to give a big tax break to Silfab that heir concern was economic development and jobs. Dismissive of other concerns. I spoke at this meeting as well as the Dhec air quality hearing. Our politicians can’t now say they don’t know the dangers. Silfab Solar doesn’t even own the property, so can just leave if it doesn’t work out for them. No “skin in the game”