Occupational health and safety impacts of renewable energy sources
Many renewable sources of energy have little direct public health impact because their normal operation produces no pollutants. Nevertheless, these technologies tend to be materials and labor intensive not only in the direct fabrication, construction, and operation of the devices, themselves, but also in the materials supply sectors required to support them. Their occupational health risks can therefore be greater than those of conventional technologies. Occupational health and safety risks of fabrication, construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of 12 renewable energy technologies are quantified. Input-output modeling was used to estimate direct risks to individuals and society, and systemwide risks throughout the entire US economy. Central-station photovoltaics and passive solar heating are the safest of these technologies in total system-wide and individual occupational risk. Residential wind without storage and wood pyrolysis has the greatest occupational risk.
- Research Organization:
- National Center for Analysis of Energy Systems, Upton, NY (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 6774096
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-51307; ON: DE82020613
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
299000* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Unconventional Sources & Power Generation
AIR CONDITIONING
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
BIOCONVERSION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONSTRUCTION
DECOMMISSIONING
DECOMPOSITION
DIGESTION
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ENERGY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EQUIPMENT
FABRICATION
HEAT
HEATING
HEATING SYSTEMS
INPUT-OUTPUT ANALYSIS
MAINTENANCE
MANAGEMENT
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
OPERATION
PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANTS
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SUPPLIES
POWER
POWER PLANTS
POWER SUPPLIES
PROCESS HEAT
PROCESSING
PYROLYSIS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SAFETY
SOLAR AIR CONDITIONING
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR HEATING
SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
SOLAR PROCESS HEAT
SOLAR SPACE HEATING
SOLAR WATER HEATING
SPACE HEATING
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WATER HEATING
WIND POWER
WIND POWER PLANTS
WOOD