We associate solar panels with health, eco friendly electricity generation and to a degree it is a less damaging electricity production method for the landscape. The problem occurs when the power gets converted to make it usable for power. Inverters etc all change the power from the more natural form in which it was harvested to the type which is harmful to human health. This is the reason I feel the local residents should not have to have the panels imposed upon them. I believe that along with wind farms, solar energy is a great way to harness the power we need. However, it needs to be generated at a SAFE distance from the areas in which we live.
Some time ago a friend bought a house which had its own solar system with batteries, inverters and solar panels. After a while living in the house his health plummeted and he consulted me to see if I could help him restore his health. In an ideal world he's of had it all removed instantly or moved house. We did what we could to reduce the "dirty electricity" in the house. As much as was possible he had the inverters turned off to avoid the dirty electricity, radio frequencies and magnetic fields. Eventually he managed to get them relocated outside the house and continued to make sure they were switched off at night and at all other times if possible.
Dr. Carpenter, who is the Dean of the School of Public Health, State University of New York states that up to 30% of all childhood cancers are likely to come from exposure to EMFs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the states states "There is reason for concern" and advise prudent avoidance".
Paul Brodeur wrote a series of articles in the New Yorker Magazine in June 1989 about EMF's and his articles caused great concern amongst scientists, reporters and people throughout the world.
The current thinking is that as well as the long-term health issues, buying a house with high fields will be an economic disaster. In a few years, when power line radiation (most people are aware of a street in Birmingham which has pylons down the middle, almost everyone has had some form of cancer and residents cannot sell their houses) is as well known as asbestos and radon, a house with high fields will be practically impossible to sell. In the states there are lawsuits regarding EMFs and property devaluation.
Electricity is part of our lives. EMFs will be unavoidable to some degree but it comes down to choice. We can switch of the TV, PC, Toaster and lights. We can limit mobile phone usage. What we cannot do is turn off a large field of solar panels.
It is not healthy to sleep under an electric blanket, nor should you live near a powerline/substation.
Further study on the topic:Cross Currents The Perils of Electropollution. The Promise of Electromedicine Robert 0. Becker, M.D. Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., 1990
Currents of Death The Attempt to Cover Up the Threat to Your Health Paul Brodeur Simon and Schuster, 1989
Electromagnetic Man Health & Hazard in the Electrical Environment Cyril W. Smith & Simon Best St. Martin's Press. Inc. 1989