How Green Are These Solar Panels Really

Solar energy is green.

How green are these solar panels really.

Solar panels are not. Solar power captures the sun s energy by using photovoltaic cells and transparent photovoltaic glass to generate electricity. The manufacturing side of solar can be very un green since its energy intensive processes are often powered by fossil fuel based electricity. As the industry grows so does concern over the environmental impact.

Enthusiasts for solar energy which is the use of sunlight to heat water and generate electricity stress its environmental credentials and suggest the widespread adoption of solar is an answer to some of humanity s greatest environmental challenges like climate change. How green are those solar panels really. It would be great if all solar panel production facilities were powered by well solar power but this isn t always the case. How green are those solar panels really.

The solar energy that is created from the use of these panels comes from a renewable energy source the sun. Yet manufacturing all those solar panels a tuesday report shows can have environmental downsides. Then there s the landfill legacy being created by wind turbine blades with the first world cynically using the. If your solar panels manufacturer doesn t recycle you can call the recycling company directly.

Clean air and the preservation of natural resources are at the top of that list. Fabricating the panels requires caustic chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and hydrofluoric acid and the process uses water as well as electricity the production of which emits greenhouse gases. As the world seeks cleaner power solar energy capacity has increased sixfold in the past five years. Or 15 years as these panels begin to come down the first wave of them and we re beginning to recycle them the new panels that are on the market are.

But how environmentally sound really is solar and what are the environmental negatives if there more. January 31 2019 by cathy chen. Solar panels are manufactured at 2 000 c a temperature so high it requires fossil fuel power. Yet manufacturing all those solar panels a tuesday report shows can have environmental downsides.

Ai can revolutionise their design. The environmental benefits associated with solar panels also play a large role in the growing interest in and use of solar energy. Even though solar power is a lot greener than fossil fuels it still has a carbon footprint 9 180 grams co2 per kilowatt hour although this is much lower than fossil fuel. The millions of solar panels being dumped in landfills are a veritable toxic cocktail of gallium arsenide tellurium silver crystalline silicon lead cadmium and other heavy metals.