How Green Are These Solar Panels Really

As the world seeks cleaner power solar energy capacity has increased sixfold in the past five years.

How green are these solar panels really. Most of these recycling programs are between the recycler and the solar panels manufacturer. Yet manufacturing all those solar panels a tuesday report shows can have environmental downsides. It also creates waste. 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. They are also made using rare earth elements the supply of which has both capacity and political issues. 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. January 31 2019 by cathy chen.

Solar panels are manufactured at 2 000 c a temperature so high it requires fossil fuel power. 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. Solar panels are not. The solar energy that is created from the use of these panels comes from a renewable energy source the sun.

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. 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. 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.

But how environmentally sound really is solar and what are the environmental negatives if there more. Solar energy is green. The manufacturing side of solar can be very un green since its energy intensive processes are often powered by fossil fuel based electricity. Clean air and the preservation of natural resources are at the top of that list.

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. How green are those solar panels really. If your solar panels manufacturer doesn t recycle you can call the recycling company directly.