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Sara Bunger
Nate Hellmers
Eng 1201
4/15/21
Is solar energy truly green?

Our planet is in the middle of a crisis. Not only are the current reserves of fossil fuels running
out, but our dependance on them is slowly killing the earth. We are in a desperate situation, but not all
is lost. Clean energy technologies are fast becoming a plausible alternative to fossil fuels. One of the top
contenders is solar energy. Technologies for solar power have been steadily improving in the last 20
years to be more cost and energy efficient, yet there is still a lot of opposition in some communities.
Despite this opposition, solar energy is one of the best solutions for clean energy that we currently have
available.
Many new clean energy technologies have come out in the last few decades. One of the largest
and fastest growing of those is the electric car. The electric car seems to be too good to be true for
anyone concerned with carbon footprints and C O 2 emissions, but one big drawback is the battery. The
battery for electric cars is made from lithium. The mining process for lithium requires a large amount of
water, approximately 500,000 gallons of water per metric ton of lithium. This can cause water shortages,
and contaminated water supplies. Also, many geographical sources of lithium are deserts and needs to
have water brought in from other sources (IER). Along with the battery issues, electric cars need to be
charged, which just adds to the strain on the current electrical resources. So, is the electric car truly
good for the environment? Similar questions have been asked about photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.
PV solar panels are made from critical resource materials such as silver, aluminum, and copper,
as well as silicon glass and a plastic back layer (Ardente, et al.). All these resources present different
challenges that can detract from solar powers’ claim to be a clean energy source. One of the biggest
concerns is the use of silicon to make the conductors in the PV cells. The silicon is processed from
quartz. Mining the quartz, unsurprisingly, is hazardous for the miners and the process to turn the quartz
into usable polysilicon ingots causes a hazardous silicon tetrachloride by-product. That by-product is
usually recycled by manufacturers to make even more polysilicon, but not handled correctly the
chemical can cause devastating water contamination for surrounding communities. Also, the
manufacturing process uses energy that can cause C O 2 emissions. Most, if not all, of the hazards
associated with PV manufacturing can be mitigated simply by regulations and standards set in place by
local governments. The problem with that is the largest producers of polysilicon are located in places
that are known for lax environmental regulations, such as China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan
(Mulvaney).
Cost is also a factor that has held solar energy back from becoming a truly sustainable energy
source. The upfront cost of installing PV panels has made homeowner hesitate since solar hit the private
market. However, with current innovations in efficiency, manufacturing and supply chain, panels are
becoming more cost efficient than ever. NREL, The National Renewable Energy Lab, which is part of the
Department of Energy in the U.S., states in their Solar Manufacturing Cost Analysis that could see a
potential 73.5% decrease in the overall cost of PV manufacturing and pricing from 2015 to 2025 (NREL).
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Another known concern is the life expectancy of the panels and how they will be treated at EOL.
When solar started making waves in the energy business, the life expectancy of PV panels was roughly
25 years, with a yearly efficiency loss of 1%. That would mean that we would start seeing an influx of
discarded PV panels very soon. However, the initial 1% efficiency loss has turned out to be closer to 0.5%
efficiency loss per year, so PV panels are lasting longer. This increased life expectancy has given
researchers additional time to improve EOL handling, including recycling processes. If the PV panels are
not disposed of properly, we will see a large loss of valuable resources and dispersal of potentially
hazardous materials (Ardente, et al.).
Innovation in solar technologies will also increase the EOL resource recovery. One such
technology is Organic Photovoltaics (OPV). The OPV panels are made from thin film, which are very
flexible and require small amounts of active materials. These panels are less efficient and have a shorter
life expectancy but require much less processing from start to finish. These OPV panels have the
potential to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption seen in standard PV panel production
and they have much lower toxicity impacts during EOL handling procedures.
Almost everyone can agree that solar energy is going to play a large part in our future. What
they can’t agree on is what that part will look like. Many private homes and businesses are buying their
own solar arrays, but large solar farms are seeing push back from communities. Four to eight acres of PV
panels are required to make one megawatt of energy, which would provide energy for 150 to 200
homes. The average solar farm covers 8 to 16 acres of land. Some people have concerns about solar
farms occupying land that could be otherwise used for crops or livestock. Others are concerned with the
aesthetics and property values of their communities. Many communities have fought to keep large solar
farms out, but there are other options to shutting solar farms down completely. Through negotiation
and cooperation, solar farms and local communities can continue to coexist (Solar Farms: Protecting
Homes, Property Value, Views & the Environment While Reaping Solar Energy Benefits).
Innovation is the main theme here. With the continued research and innovation solar energy
will continue to grow and truly become one of the renewable energy sources our planet desperately
needs. Despite the drawbacks of PV panels, solar is still a cleaner source of energy than current fossil
fuels. Solar is still a young technology and if handled correctly, will pave our path to a better Earth.

Works Cited

Ardente, Fulvio, et al. “Resource Efficient Recovery of Critical and Precious Metals from Waste
Silicon PV Panel Recycling.” Waste Management, Pergamon, 8 May 2019,
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X19302909. Accessed 11 April 2021.

IER. “The Environmental Impact of Lithium Batteries.” IER, 12 Nov. 2020,

www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/renewable/the-environmental-impact-of-lithium-
batteries/. Accessed 15 April 2021.
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Mulvaney, Dustin. “Solar Energy isn’t Always as Green as You Think.” IEEE Spectrum:
Technology, Engineering, and Science News, IEEE Spectrum, 13 Nov. 2014, 16:00 GMT,
spectrum.ieee.org/green-tech/solar/solar-energy-isnt-always-as-green-as-you-think.
Accessed 15 April 2021.

NREL. “Solar Manufacturing Cost Analysis.” NREL.gov, U.S. Department of Energy, 2019,
www.nrel.gov/solar/solar-manufacturing-cost.html. Accessed 12 April 2021.

“Solar Farms: Protecting Homes, Property Value, Views & the Environment While Reaping
Solar Energy Benefits.” Community & Environmental Defense Services, CEDS.Org, 28
Oct. 2020, ceds.org/solar/. 13 April 2021.

Tsang, Michael P., et al. “Life-Cycle Assessment of Cradle-to-Grave Opportunities and

Environmental Impacts of Organic Photovoltaic Solar Panels Compared to Conventional
Technologies.” Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, vol. 156, 2016, pp. 37–48.,
doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2016.04.024. Accessed 13 April 2021.