arbon footprint has been a topic of debate for years, but when it comes to the carbon footprint of solar panels this debate reaches a whole new level.
The answer to the long queried question to ‘whether it takes more energy to produce solar panels than a solar panel would give energy in its life time’ is at last no.
Yes, solar panels produce much more efficient energy than it takes to manufacture one.
What is the carbon foot print of solar panels?
The carbon footprint of a solar photovoltaic (PV) panel (taking the manufacturing, distribution and installation greenhouse gas emissions total and stretching it over the lifespan of the panel) it is about 72 grams of carbon dioxide-equivalent per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated (CO2/kWh).
Compare this to the 800 grams of CO2 per KWH on the average grid. Solar energy has close to no maintenance carbon-footprint in the long run.
With this in mind it is understandable that electricity generated by photovoltaic systems is 15 times less carbon-intensive than electricity generated by a natural gas plant and at least 30 times less carbon-intensive than electricity generated by a coal plant
We at Sonop Solar are very excited what the future may hold for solar energy, as technology keeps developing it could not be too long before solar energy has less to almost zero carbon footprint.
