Q. With reference to Solar Power, consider the following statements:
1.Solar panels contain heavy metals and also some valuable materials like silver
2.In India the total installed capacity of coal fired power plants is lower than that of Hydro, wind and solar energy combined.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: A
Notes:
- Some governments classify solar panels as hazardous waste due to the small amounts of heavy metals (cadmium, lead, etc.) in them. While panels contain small amounts of valuable materials such as silver, they are mostly made of glass, an extremely low-value material.
- This also disincentivizes recycling efforts in the sector. Installed capacity for the Electricity generated from coal is 2,03,190 MW (51.9%) of the total while that for Wind, hydro and solar combined is 1,50,000 MW (38.4%) of the total.
