RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - Critics of the state's subsidized solar industry say the state must determine if solar panels are safe when they're decommissioned and where they will be disposed of. Industry representatives say that's all spelled out in the contracts of the tenants who lease land for solar farms.

The debate was on display this week before a state legislative panel. Tom Reeder of the state Department of Environmental Quality was one of those who addressed the group.

"There are 250 milion pounds of these photovaoltaic cells in North Carolina," he said, adding that there are toxic chemicals in the panels.

Lawmakers ended the solar industry's 35 percent tax credit last year.