One of the most popular renewable energy sources, solar energy transforms solar energy into electricity. Solar panels produce fewer carbon emissions overall than other renewable energy sources do, even though they do so at some points in their lifecycle. Natural gas and coal are the main sources of carbon emissions. The carbon footprint of solar panels is explained in this article.
What Is A Carbon Footprint?
Let’s clarify what a carbon footprint is so you can follow along before we go any further: a carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide and methane, associated with an action.
An action might be connected to a person, a team, a company, or a line of goods. The majority of people and things that you can imagine leave a carbon footprint.
For instance, your individual carbon footprint is the result of all your daily decisions and deeds. Your carbon footprint is influenced by a variety of factors including the foods you purchase, the mode of transportation you choose, and the methods you use for disposing of waste.
Everything that goes into the planning and development of a power plant, as well as the years it is in operation, has an impact on how much carbon is emitted during construction and operation.
Due to the greenhouse gas emissions, they produce while producing energy, traditional power plants that use fossil fuels like coal and natural gas have very high carbon footprints over the course of their entire life cycles.
On the other hand, green energy facilities, like solar and wind farms, have much smaller carbon footprints because they don’t pollute or release greenhouse gases while generating electricity.
What Is The Global Carbon Footprint Of Solar Energy?
On a life-cycle basis, concentrated solar energy emits 38, PV roof solar energy emits 41, and PV utility solar energy emits 48 grams of CO2 equivalent per kWh of electricity produced.
With a rise from 51 GW in 2015 to 127 GW in 2020, the demand for solar energy has grown rapidly over the past ten years. Europe at first led the solar industry’s expansion. But as prices dropped and technology advanced, China, the US, India, and Japan entered the market.
The top five nations in the world for solar energy production (in terms of volume annually) are:
- China – 205 gigawatts (GW)
- United States – 76 GW
- Japan – 63 GW
- Germany – 49 GW
- India – 38 GW
The world’s annual energy consumption can be accounted for by the amount of sunlight that hits the earth’s surface in one and a half hours. It’s critical to comprehend the carbon footprint of solar energy because of how much electricity it can generate. And how its carbon emissions influence the process of global climate change.
We must evaluate solar energy’s life cycle and the carbon footprint of each stage in order to comprehend its carbon footprint.
The life-cycle assessment (LCA) method is one way to assess how products and materials will affect the environment. Companies have used LCA strategically over time to conduct research and develop more sustainable products.
Carbon Footprint Of Building Solar Energy
CO2 emissions at this stage occur upon the construction of the solar power plants and electricity delivery mechanism.
Many components are required to construct a solar power plant, and building these components requires machinery that emits CO2. Mirrors, heat-exchange fluid, receivers, engines, turbines, generators, transmission lines, transformers, and substations—all of which are necessary for delivering electricity to consumers—as well as other components all have a carbon footprint.
Carbon Footprint Of Operating Solar Energy
Depending on the type of solar power plant (i.e., a solar power plant), solar energy operates differently. PV or concentrating).
The following describes how PV solar power plants function:
- Sunlight strikes a PV solar panel, creating an electrical charge
- The charge moves in response to an internal electric field in the cell, causing electricity to flow
After being transported to a substation, the electricity is then transmitted via transmission lines to end users. Before it can be delivered to customers, transformers must receive the electricity and adjust the voltage as necessary.
Carbon Footprint Of Building Back Solar Energy
Restoring solar energy entails:
- Shutting down the solar panels and other mechanical equipment
- Removing the solar panels, mirrors, racks, foundations, and enclosures from the site
- Restoring the land or roof to its original state
The lifespan of solar panels is typically between 25 and 30 years. Because the panels don’t have any moving parts and are typically only harmed by shoddy installation, wind, debris, or other extreme weather events, this can be prolonged for many decades with proper maintenance.
Additionally, the output of solar panels typically declines by 0.8% annually. Around 82.5% of solar panels can continue to function after 25 years, and some panels degrade at even lower rates so they can continue to function for longer.
Production Process And Associated Carbon Footprint Of Solar Panels
The first step in setting up a solar energy farm is to produce and manufacture each solar panel that will be used.
Photovoltaic (PV) cells, which are commonly used in solar panels, turn solar energy into usable electricity to power devices. On the surface of the solar panel, you can see individual square or rectangular shapes called PV cells.
Now that solar panels are operational, they leave no carbon footprint behind. However, the initial solar panel manufacturing facilities frequently produce high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly if they rely on fossil fuel energy plants for their source of power.
Additionally, the materials needed to make solar panels must be obtained in some way before any are even put into production.
The production of solar panels results in greenhouse gas emissions because the metals and rare earth minerals needed to make the panels must be mined and transported to a factory.
This means that every solar panel has a “carbon debt,” which refers to the fact that the panel had a carbon footprint when it was produced, at the beginning of its life cycle.
Fortunately, solar energy can quickly produce more than enough green energy to offset other greenhouse gas emissions and eventually “payback” this carbon debt.
Solar panels can actually pay off their debt in as little as 1-3 years, depending on their location and the amount of sunlight they receive.
What Difference Does Solar Make To The Environment?
The environmental effects of solar panels are evaluated taking into account a number of important factors, including carbon emissions. Solar energy depends on non-renewable metals and minerals, even though the process of producing solar energy itself is non-polluting.
This entails polluting mining operations and frequently leads to habitat and biodiversity loss as mines and roads are built through pristine areas to facilitate the transport of equipment and raw materials.
Like with any form of energy production, some people will be more negatively impacted than others; an example of this would be people who live close to fossil fuel-burning mining operations or panel manufacturing facilities. E-waste from discarded panels also has additional negative effects.
However, there is no contest when comparing the overall environmental impact of energy produced by fossil fuel sources versus that of solar panels: Solar has a very, very small impact on pollution and carbon emissions.
However, as the world switches to low-carbon energy sources, it will be crucial to continuously enhance the standards and procedures designed to reduce effects while distributing unavoidable environmental burdens in more equitable ways.