How Green Is Solar Panel Production

The svtc said it s leading an effort to develop a first ever sustainability standard for solar panels similar to the u s.

How green is solar panel production.

In the case of solar panels some of the characteristics to consider are the materials used in its production and where the materials were sourced assembled and distributed. For the sake of example if you are getting 5 hours of direct sunlight per day in a sunny state like california you can calculate your solar panel output this way. Solar panels glimmering in the sun are an icon of all that is green. To create a solar panel caustic materials will emit greenhouse gases.

However solar panels are not emitting toxins into the atmosphere as they re generating electricity. The panel is rated to produce 224 watts of power in 1 hour of peak solar intensity. Although the use of solar panels is green many solar panel manufacturing processes are not. Solar cell manufacturers purify.

It would be great if all solar panel production facilities were powered by well solar power but this isn t always the case. Silicon tetra chloride in solar. The carbon footprint of solar panel production varies widely by region of production depending largely on the primary fuel that a region relies on for its energy. The manufacturing side of solar can be very un green since its energy intensive processes are often powered by fossil fuel based electricity.

The struggle to keep photovoltaics green does not end with the production of polysilicon. So if you live in santa fe new mexico you would generate 6 x 224 watts 1 33 kwh in one day with that one panel. All of these factors can help you figure out which solar panels are the greenest. In 2014 a study found that the carbon footprint of a solar panel produced in china where coal is heavily relied upon for electricity was twice that of a panel produced in europe.

5 hours x 290 watts an example wattage of a premium solar panel 1 450 watts hours or roughly 1 5 kilowatt hours kwh.