As solar farms proliferate across the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, communities and experts are raising concerns about the indiscriminate use of glyphosate-based herbicides to clear vegetation around the solar panels, reports contributor Gowthami Subramaniam for Mongabay India.
“We fear these chemicals will seep into our water. The effects may not be visible now, but we worry about lasting damage they could cause in the future,” Vanathi, who lives next to a 16-hectare (40-acre) solar park, told Mongabay India. Her name has been changed to protect her identity.
Glyphosate-based herbicides are widely used globally. Some studies suggest a link between these herbicides and an increased risk of cancer, hormonal disruption and organ damage in humans. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies glyphosate as a probable carcinogen. However, regulatory agencies in the U.S. and EU say glyphosate is safe when used as directed. Some research also suggests that glyphosate can persist in soil and water, potentially impacting the health of microbes, plants and animals.
Weeds growing around solar panels can be manually removed or cut with machines. Some farms also use livestock such as goats to graze on the plants, Subramaniam reports.
Yet, many solar farm owners rely on herbicides “to minimise maintenance costs, given the 25-year lifespan of solar parks,” R. Chellappan, founder of Swelect Energy System Limited, a solar power company, told Mongabay India. He said his company doesn’t use herbicides and solely relies on mechanical methods to remove vegetation.
A 2022 study found that nearly 68% of solar farms in India have been built on agricultural land, and 7% on previously forested land.
“When agricultural or grazing lands are converted into solar parks, glyphosate-based herbicides are often sprayed recklessly to control weeds beneath the panels, with no regulations or limitations in place,” Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, secretary of the environment wing of the ruling political party in Tamil Nadu, told Mongabay India.
Sivasenapathy said his office wrote to the state and central governments in September 2024 highlighting the risks of glyphosate use on solar farms and urging immediate intervention and safer alternatives.
Clearing all vegetation from solar farms can also lead to increased carbon emissions, while maintaining some vegetation can create a cooler microclimate, improving the panels’ overall performance.
Some solar farms, like the one that powers Cochin International Airport in neighboring Kerala state, grow vegetables beneath the panels, creating additional income for the solar park owner, said A.D. Dileep Kumar, CEO of Pesticide Action Network India.
Martin Scherfler, co-founder of Auroville Consulting that works in sustainable development, said that beyond operational benefits, vegetation under solar panels improves soil health and contributes to biodiversity conservation by providing habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.
This is a summary of “The potential toxic fallout of herbicide use in solar parks” by Gowthami Subramaniam for Mongabay India.
Banner image of a solar farm by Vinaykumar8687 via Wikimedia Commons (CCBY-SA4.0).
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