Questioning the irony of renewable energy advocates demonizing coal when it is essential to silicon purification and solar cell production is what made everyone start calling me names.
Amount of coal burned to make solar panel.
That all these 50 ton coal trucks these railroads these coal hauling railroad cars these coal power stations these turbines that turn coal into electricity are all somehow built by fairies.
Solar panels are required to be recycled in the european union but with the exception of washington state the u s.
Clearly the amount of oil used will vary depending upon the source of electricity utilized during the most energy intensive phases of production.
A significant amount of li battery storage will be needed to ensure continuous operation of a solar.
Why do we burn coal and trees to make solar panels.
Based on models and real data the idea that pv cannot pay back its energy investment is simply a myth.
Most of the time solar panels go to landfills or are exported overseas for reuse in developing countries with weak environmental protections according to grist.
The most energy intensive phases will be the production and purification of the silicon or other sem.
The very question insinuates that only manufacturing solar takes energy.
It takes energy to make all the things used to burn coal for electricity.
Quite simply this is untrue.
Has no solar recycling mandates whatsoever.
Utility scale solar uses much more land than a coal power plant since each solar panel needs to face the sun and can t be shaded by other panels.
The 550 mw desert sunlight solar farm for example is one of the largest solar power plants in the world with 8 8 million solar panels covering six square miles.
My endgame is finding out how much coal is required to make a solar panel and also if anthracite is required or just more efficient.
As more panels are made the.
In an april 25 new york times article today s energy jobs are in solar not coal reporter nadja popovich wrote that last year the solar industry employed many more americans 373 807.
One of the myths that has floated around about solar energy is that it takes more energy to produce transport and install solar panels then the amount the panels will ever be able to generate in their lifetime.