Environmental Issues With Solar Panels

However solar panels aren t zero emissions resources for their entire lifetime as they have to be manufactured in a factory first as well as recycled at the end of their useful life.

Environmental issues with solar panels.

According to ucs pv systems fall between a range of 0 07 and 0 18 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt hour while csp solar systems generate co2 equivalent in a range of 0 08 to 0 2 pounds. Using solar energy can have a positive indirect effect on the environment when solar energy replaces or reduces the use of other energy sources that have larger effects on the environment. These figures are dramatically less than the lifecycle emissions for natural gas 0 6 2 lbs of co2e kwh and coal 1 4 3 6 lbs of co2e kwh. At forbes michael shellenberger highlights another problem with solar energy.

Worse rainwater can wash many of these toxics out of the fragments of solar modules over time. Solar energy systems power plants do not produce air pollution water pollution or greenhouse gases. Solar panels generate 300 times more toxic waste per unit of energy than nuclear power plants. Countries without robust e waste disposal means are at a higher risk of recycling related issues.

However some toxic materials and chemicals are used to make the photovoltaic pv cells that convert sunlight into electricity. It produces vast quantities of hazardous waste which are not being adequately dealt with. Solar energy is terrible for the environment in a number of ways including the fact that large land areas must be devoted to it. Although solar panel recycling has not become a major issue yet it will in the coming decades as solar panels need to be replaced.