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Sunday, August 16, 2009

Solar industry's promises bring environmental challenges for Tennessee

Solar industry's promises bring environmental challenges for Tennessee: "As the state tries to reap the benefits of a growing solar industry that could bring thousands of new jobs and billions in new investment, the massive projects also bring with them environmental challenges in the form of intensive manufacturing operations that will draw a tremendous amount of electricity from the state's power grid used to run sprawling chemical reactors.


With just two investments — Hemlock Semiconductor Group near Clarksville and a similar Wacker Chemie AG plant near Chattanooga — Tennessee is poised to become a nationwide leader in the production of polysilicon crystals, the basic building block for the solar industry. Together, these plants will cost at least $2.2 billion to construct."


Solar might be replacing hydrocarbon use in other states, but in Tennessee it looks like more of a tossup. Maybe solar power might have a little bigger "footprint" than most of us imagine.