New study finds no evidence of PFAS leaching from solar panels, clarifying assessment requirements.

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New peer-reviewed study finds no evidence of PFAS leaching from commercially deployed solar panels, clarifying site assessment requirements

Overview

A peer-reviewed study published in April 2026 by researchers from Michigan State University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory has found no confirmed evidence of mobile PFAS leaching from commercially deployed solar photovoltaic (PV) panels under normal field conditions. The findings carry significant weight for environmental practitioners, project developers, financiers, and regulators who have been navigating growing community and regulatory concern about whether utility-scale solar infrastructure could act as a legitimate source of environmental PFAS contamination. The study addresses a genuine and previously unresolved knowledge gap in site assessment practice, one that has been generating unnecessary uncertainty across project approvals and environmental due diligence processes.

The relevance of this research extends well beyond the United States context in which it was conducted. Australia is in the midst of a rapid buildout of utility-scale solar infrastructure, with project pipelines spanning hundreds of sites across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. At many of these sites, PFAS has been raised as a potential concern during community consultation, environmental impact assessment, or pre-finance due diligence. In the absence of defensible empirical data, practitioners have sometimes faced pressure to undertake precautionary PFAS investigations that may not be warranted by the actual risk profile of the site. This study provides a defensible, evidence-based reference point for structuring those conversations.

Critically, the study also highlights a significant misalignment between perceived and actual risk within the professional community. A survey referenced in the research found that 59 per cent of industry professionals incorrectly believed that PFAS present in solar PV modules was likely to result in environmental contamination through leaching. That figure reflects how effectively anecdotal concern can distort professional judgement in the absence of primary research. The publication of these findings gives practitioners a concrete basis for applying more rigorous, evidence-led reasoning when building conceptual site models and scoping investigation programs at solar project sites.

Key details of the Michigan State University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory PFAS solar panel study

The study examined the leaching behaviour of PFAS compounds present in commercially manufactured and deployed solar PV panel materials under conditions representative of normal field exposure. The research was conducted by institutions with established expertise in environmental chemistry and materials science. Michigan State University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory both have recognised programs in contaminant fate and transport, lending credibility to the methodology and the thoroughness of the findings. The study specifically focused on field-relevant conditions rather than extreme laboratory scenarios, which is a critical distinction for practitioners applying the results to real-world site assessments.

The core finding is that PFAS present in solar PV panel components did not demonstrate measurable mobility into surrounding media under the conditions studied. This means the potential source term, which is a foundational component of any risk-based assessment framework, could not be established for the PFAS compounds evaluated. In contamination assessment methodology, the absence of a credible source term directly undermines the viability of the broader source-pathway-receptor linkage. Without a mobile source, a complete exposure pathway cannot be constructed, and the case for further investigation of that particular contaminant in that context is substantially weakened.

The 59 per cent figure from the industry survey is particularly instructive. It suggests that the majority of professionals who responded believed leaching was a likely outcome, a belief that is not supported by the empirical evidence the study presents. This misperception has real consequences. Investigation programs scoped on the basis of perceived rather than demonstrated risk can involve substantial unnecessary cost. Preliminary PFAS site investigations at utility-scale solar projects can readily reach hundreds of thousands of dollars when soil, groundwater, and surface water sampling programs are included. Where those programs are triggered by unfounded concern rather than credible evidence, the cost is absorbed without producing meaningful risk reduction.

It is important to note that the study’s findings are specific to the PFAS compounds present in the panel types examined and the exposure conditions evaluated. The results should not be interpreted as a blanket clearance for all PFAS across all solar panel configurations or in all site contexts. Practitioners must review the scope of the study carefully and confirm that the compounds and conditions described are consistent with those relevant to the specific project or site under assessment. PFAS is a broad chemical class with hundreds of individual compounds, each with distinct physical and chemical properties that influence environmental behaviour, mobility, and persistence.

Australian context: PFAS risk assessment for solar projects under NEPM 2013 and the PFAS NEMP

In Australia, environmental site assessments involving potential contamination are principally governed by the National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure 2013, commonly referred to as the NEPM 2013. This framework requires practitioners to develop a Conceptual Site Model that maps the relationships between potential contaminant sources, exposure pathways, and receptors. The model is the analytical foundation upon which decisions about further investigation, remediation, or site clearance are made.

References and related sources

• Primary source: www.googlecloudpresscorner.com
• ienvi.com.au
• ienvi.com.au
• sers.net.au
• ienvi.com.au
• PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP)
• NEPM Assessment of Site Contamination

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This is an iEnvi Machete news summary. Prepared by iEnvi to summarise the source article for contaminated land, groundwater, remediation, approvals and site risk professionals.

Published: 24 Apr 2026

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