PV EMF [EM fields]

Public awareness of electric and magnetic fields (EMF) is increasing due to uncertainty about EMF effects on human health. While research continues to determine if EMF affects human health, concerned individuals are now requesting data on EMF sources in their environments to base personal decisions about limiting their exposure to these sources. Timely acceptance and implementation of photovoltaics (PV), particularly for distributed applications such as PV rooftops, windows, and vehicles, may be hampered by the lack of PV EMF data. PV EMF data taken at PVUSA are documented in this paper. Although not comprehensive, the PVUSA EMF data indicate that 60 Hz magnetic fields (the EMF type of greatest public concern) are significantly less for PV arrays than for household appliances. Given the present EMF research knowledge, the data indicate that PV array EMF may not merit considerable concern