Mission Statement

The overall objective of the Photovoltaic Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) Assessment Program at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is to identify and examine potential health and safety barriers, and hazard control strategies for new photovoltaic material, process or application options, before their large-scale commercialization. To ensure the successful transfer of data developed during these research efforts, a safety Assistance Center has been established to provide direct and focused EH&S information to researchers and managers in the photovoltaics community. This information helps these individuals and organizations operate their research programs and facilities in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

Goals and Objectives incorporated into its strategic mission include:

• Construct leading edge experiments and user facilities on schedule, within budget and in an environmentally and fiscally responsible manner.
• Facilitate the application of knowledge and technology.
• Reduce uncertainties, prioritize risks, and eliminate imminent threats of our activities, to improve environmental quality.
• Reduce adverse environmental impacts associated with energy production, delivery and use.
• Help industry shift from waste management to resource efficiency and pollution prevention.

More specifically, with respect to the first goal "construct leading edge..." BNL activities provide direct support to DOE Headquarters, NREL and SNL to ensure that the operations of their own facilities and those of their contractors are operated in an environmentally responsible manner. In order to "facilitates the application of knowledge," the BNL program has undertaken various efforts including the publication of reports in the peer reviewed literature, the presentation of an EH&S Tutorial for engineers at the Photovoltaic IEEE Specialists Conference, the maintenance of an electronic bulletin board for the photovoltaic community interested in EH&s issues, the conduct of EH&S; audits and accident investigation reports, and the hosting of working.

In order to "reduce uncertainties , prioritize risks ..." the BNL EH&S; program prepares detailed evaluations of the EH&S; issues associated with new materials, technologies and processing options, and strategies for managing the risks they present. Where fundamental information (e.g., toxicology studies) is missing, BNL works with the photovoltaic industry and other government agencies (e.g., the NIEHS) to fill these gaps.

In order to "reduce the adverse environmental impacts associated with energy production, delivery and use," BNL has been assisting industry to identify and examine potential health and safety barriers and hazard control strategies for new photovoltaic material, process, or application options before their large-scale commercialization.

Finally to help industry shift from waste management to pollution prevention, the BNL EH&S; program assists industry to identify and evaluate the most cost effective strategies, ranging from material substitution and recycling to "end-of-the pipe" controls. Prior evaluation of hazard can also reduce potential costly risks to health and environment. Data, documentation, models and analyses developed from this program can assist DOE in complying with its programmatic responsibilities including preparation of NEPA documents and development of necessary monitoring, site evaluation and control-technology data.

In summary, the analyses prepared at BNL assists DOE and the photovoltaic industry in their efforts to develop energy systems that are both technologically feasible and environmentally acceptable.

Last Modified: Monday, 29-Jan-2007 18:59:56 EST
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One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE’s Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

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