C02 Emissions From Manufacturing Solar Panels

For instance concentrated solar power csp has a footprint of 20 grams of carbon dioxide co2 per kilowatt hour kwh of electricity produced in addition to consuming vast amounts of water.

C02 emissions from manufacturing solar panels.

Although the use of solar panels is green many solar panel manufacturing processes are not. Most solar companies use their own solar panels to power their panel manufacturing plants so the consumption of fossil fuel derived energy to make panels is now very low and getting lower. Because of this a recent parliamentary paper estimated cradle to grave emissions of solar power in the uk to be 88g co2 kwh whilst noting this will reduce over time. Fortunately the levels of the resulting emissions mostly carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide can t do much harm to the people working at silicon refineries or to the immediate environment.

The second issue is how much greenhouse house gas ghg is avoided by using solar power with the typical focus on carbon dioxide co2 the most significant greenhouse gas from fossil fuel electricity generation. Solar energy is a naturally occurring renewable energy source which is why more and more people are choosing to invest in solar panels to power their homes. To create a solar panel caustic materials will emit greenhouse gases.