"I don’t like solar power because manufacturing the panels creates so much pollution it pretty counteracts whatever “greenness” you thought you were achieving."
Can I see the math for this claim?
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"I don’t like solar power because manufacturing the panels creates so much pollution it pretty counteracts whatever “greenness” you thought you were achieving."
Can I see the math for this claim?
Sure I can. I try not say things like that without being able to back them up so thank you for calling it out.
I read a bunch of different articles but this one jumps to mind first at the moment. The first paragraph of this article I will quote.
"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. It also creates waste. These problems could undercut solar's ability to fight climate change and reduce environmental toxics."
From this National Geographic article.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2014/11/141111-solar-panel-manufacturing-sustainability-ranking/
I just wanted to point it out to those who thought it was 100% green that it's not.
I do still support it over many other fossil fuel type sources of energy though. Hope this helped. ^^
Thanks for the cite, but it doesn't appear to say that the pollution incurred when manufacturing the panels negates their benefit to the environment. That was the implication in your post that I took issue with.
Well that really depends what the other source was before switching to solar. If your on-grid source was coal per say it then it would make a huge difference. But if that source was perhaps hydro electric or maybe even natural gas then switching to solar might have less of an impact.
I probably should tossed that idea into my article somewhere.
Solar is is good i got another favourite I will write up about some time soon.
My off grid retreat will have solar without a doubt just not a huge set up.
I think the problem of waste has always roots in country's regulations for manufacturers. Focusing on as clean manufacture as possible and strong regulations of production byproduct disposal might make solar industry sustainable. Because chemical obtained as byproducts might be reused for other reactions rather than being freely disposed into the environment. Here is a nice article: https://greentumble.com/the-environmental-footprint-of-the-solar-industry/ about it as well.