How Solar Panels Hurt The Environment

Any type of energy comes with some cost to the environment though and solar and wind energy is no different.

How solar panels hurt the environment.

The potential environmental impacts associated with solar power land use and habitat loss water use and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing can vary greatly depending on the technology which includes two broad categories. Bats and birds are killed every year by wind turbines. Solar panels can take up large chunks of desert previously used by a host of wildlife from pronghorns and tortoises to coyotes and rattlesnakes. Solar energy systems power plants do not produce air pollution water pollution or greenhouse gases.

Photovoltaic pv solar cells or concentrating solar thermal plants csp. At forbes michael shellenberger highlights another problem with solar energy. While solar panels are considered a form of clean renewable energy the manufacturing process does produce greenhouse gas emissions. Solar energy is terrible for the environment in a number of ways including the fact that large land areas must be devoted to it.

Solar panels take a lot of energy to create but the total emissions are heavily front loaded. Additionally to produce solar panels manufacturers need to handle toxic chemicals. Production of these panels consumes substantial amounts of energy and produces waste water and hazardous by products which are released to the air during the manufacturing process. However solar panels are not emitting toxins into the atmosphere as they re generating electricity.

After solar panels are installed they produce emission free energy for 25 years. It produces vast quantities of hazardous waste which are not being adequately dealt with. Researchers have produced the first detailed study of the impact of solar parks on the environment opening the door to smarter forms of farming and better land management. The manufacturing process is irrelevant without context of the lifetime generated energy as well as how other fuel sources stack up.

However some toxic materials and chemicals are used to make the photovoltaic pv cells that convert sunlight into electricity.