[Answered] What Is a Safe Distance to Live From A Solar Farm?
While checking out the location of your new house and find out that there is a solar farm nearby your house. However, living nearby of a solar farm can decrease your land property as well as it may affect your health. And you are concerned about that. Now you are wondering what is the safest distance should you maintain to live from a solar farm.
Well, the distance can be 200 meters or it can be 1000 meters. The distance basically depends on the type of solar farm. In this article, we have discussed the safest distance to live from a solar farm.
Be with us till the end and let us help you to learn about the safest distance!
Safest Distance that You will Need to Maintain Between Your Residence and Solar Farm
According to the experts, while living nearby a solar farm you may have health hazards. Your health can be affected due to electromagnetic fields, exposure to light, air pollution, and many more. For that reason, if you are planning to buy a new property to reside then check if there are any solar farms nearby your property. If there are any, then you will need to keep a safe distance from the farm.
As aforementioned, the distance will depend on the type of farm. There are three types of solar farms.
- A utility-scale solar farm,
- Distributed generation solar farms, and
- Microgrid solar farm.
Now let’s find out the safest distance from each aforementioned solar farm.
1. Safest Distance to Live from a Utility-Scale Solar Farm
The utility-scale solar farm is known as the larger solar farm that uses high-voltage power lines to feed solar energy to the power grid. There you will get two varieties, photovoltaic and Concentrated Solar Power.
It is generally recommended to live at least 500 meters (0.3 miles) away from large-scale solar farms. This distance can help to minimize potential noise and glare issues.
According to the experts, to be on the safe side, keep a distance of more than 1000 meters or 3280 feet or 1 kilometer. These types of solar farms are way more powerful and that’s why some experts suggest having a distance of at least 2 kilometers from the solar panel.
2. Safest Distance to Live from a Distributed Generation Solar Farm
This Distributed generation solar farm is known as a medium-sized farm. If you have this type of farm then make sure you have a distance of 1 kilometer between the farm and your property.
3. Safest Distance to Live from a Microgrid Solar Farm
This kind of solar farm is known as a small-scale solar farm. This type of solar farm doesn’t cause that many issues. For this type of solar farm, you will need to have a distance of 200 meters to 300 meters between your property and the solar farm.
Can Living Nearby Solar Farm Hamper Your Health Condition?
Living near a solar farm is not likely to hamper your health condition. There are a few common concerns people have about solar farms, but scientific evidence does not support these health fears:
- Electromagnetic Fields (EMF): While it’s true that solar farms produce EMF, the levels are very low and not strong enough to cause cancer or other health issues. This is a common misconception, but studies have not found a link between the low-level EMF from solar installations and cancer.
- Noise: Solar farms do produce some sound, primarily from inverters and transformers. However, the noise level is typically around 60 decibels (dB), which is comparable to normal conversation or background music. This level is well within the range considered safe for human hearing and is unlikely to cause health problems.
- Other factors: Solar panels don’t emit pollution, radiation, or any other harmful substances during operation.
In fact, solar farms contribute to cleaner air by reducing reliance on fossil fuels, which can have positive impacts on overall community health.
It’s worth noting that while personal concerns about living near any industrial installation are valid, scientific evidence does not support claims of direct health risks from proximity to solar farms. If you have specific health concerns, it’s always best to consult with a healthcare professional and review any environmental impact assessments conducted for nearby solar projects.
Bonus Tips: Advantages and Disadvantages of Living Near a Solar Farm
There are several advantages and disadvantages you will get if you are willing to reside nearby a solar farm. If we look at the positive side, then you will get proper security in your area with affordable, reliable, and clean energy. And another important thing, people including us think that solar farms reduce property value but according to SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association), this is a total misconception.
Now, let’s have a look at the downside. You will have health issues because of the electromagnetic radiation. Which can reduce your lifespan.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions and Answers)
What is the safe distance from a solar inverter?
From a solar inverter, you will need to maintain at least 3 feet of distance for keeping yourself safe. Also, other experts suggested that you should have a distance of 10 feet.
Do solar panels make noise?
No, the solar panels don’t make any noise. Because they were designed to be noise-free.
Conclusion
Lastly, if you are willing to buy a property nearby a solar farm then make sure to have a distance of 2 to 3 kilometers between the farm and the property. With this kind of distance, you can live without any issues.
