What Is the Carbon Footprint of Solar Panels?

Solar panels are one of the primary pieces of hardware used to generate renewable solar power, one of the most rapidly growing sources of energy worldwide.

Unlike traditional energy production from fossil fuels, solar power facilities don’t generate greenhouse gasses (CO2 emissions) while producing energy, making them a green source of electricity.

However, that doesn’t mean that solar power systems don’t have any carbon footprint at all. 

The production and manufacturing process as well as the delivery and transportation of solar panels both have associated carbon footprints, which is what we are going to take a look at in this article.

What exactly is a carbon footprint?

Before we continue, let’s make sure you understand exactly what a carbon footprint is:  a carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide and methane, associated with an action.

An action may be associated with an individual, a group, a business, or a product. Just about everyone and everything you can think of has a carbon footprint.

For example, all your day-to-day choices and actions determine your personal carbon footprint. Things like the foods you buy, the transportation you use, and the waste disposal practices you follow all contribute to your carbon footprint.

In terms of a power plant, its carbon footprint is influenced by everything that goes into its construction and operation, from the planning and development through the years during which it produces energy.

Traditional power plants burn fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, to produce energy, and thus have a very large carbon footprint for the duration of their life cycles because of their greenhouse gas emissions.

On the other hand, green energy facilities, such as solar farms and wind farms, have much smaller carbon footprints, because they do not emit greenhouse gasses or pollute during their power generation phase.

But, as we already mentioned, there are still actions associated with renewable energy power plants that result in them having minimal carbon footprints.

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Production/Manufacturing Process and Associated Carbon Footprint of Solar Panels

In order to set up a solar energy farm, the first thing that needs to happen is the production and manufacturing of each solar panel to be used.

A solar panel typically works by converting energy from the sun into usable electricity via something called photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are the individual squares or rectangular shapes that you see on the surface of the solar panel.

Now, once solar panels are up and running, they don’t have an associated carbon footprint. But, the factories that produce the solar panels to start with often generate high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, especially if they rely on power from fossil fuel energy plants.

Plus, before any solar panel even goes into production, the materials used to make the panels need to be acquired somehow. 

The metals and rare earth minerals used to make solar panels need to be mined and transported to a factory, thus resulting in greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of the panels.

In this sense, every solar panel starts its life cycle off with what’s called a “carbon debt,” meaning that the panel generated a carbon footprint when they were produced.

Fortunately, over time, solar panels can easily generate more than enough green energy to offset other greenhouse gas emissions and “pay back” this carbon debt. 

In fact, depending on their location and the amount of sunlight they receive, solar panels can pay their debt back over an average period of just 1-3 years.

Key takeaways about solar panel manufacturing carbon footprints:

• Mining/acquisition of raw materials results in greenhouse gas emissions
• Factories producing solar panels generate greenhouse gas emissions
• Solar panels start their life cycles with a “carbon debt”
• The lifetime benefits of solar power offsets the downsides of solar panel manufacturing

What other environmental impacts does solar panel manufacturing have?

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), manufacturing solar system PV cells requires the use of some toxic materials and chemicals. Though the disposal of these raw materials is regulated, it’s possible for them to find their way into the environment by accident.

Additionally, constructing solar farms requires the clearing of land and sometimes the usage of local water sources, both of which can potentially affect natural wildlife habitats and ecosystems.

Each of these impacts can easily be mitigated with proper planning and responsible construction management. 

Delivery/Transportation and Associated Carbon Footprint of Solar Panels

After solar panels are manufactured, they must be transported to the solar farm location and installed. 

If they’re going strictly overland from their manufacturing location to their final destination, solar panels usually get transported in trucks. This means that all the CO2 emissions from the trucks burning fuel are part of the solar panels’ associated carbon footprint.

If solar panels are getting transported overseas somewhere, then you have to also factor in all the associated carbon emissions from the ships or planes transporting them.

Finally, when the panels reach the location of the solar power plant, there are other activities associated with their installation that result in an associated carbon footprint. Some examples of these are:

• Transportation to/from site for workers
• Operation of vehicles/heavy machinery on the site
• Operation of tools on the site (if drawing power from non-renewable sources)

Can the Solar Energy Production Sector Reduce Its Carbon Footprint Further?

The good news is that with solar power being a rapidly growing source of renewable energy, there are a lot of resources going into developing new types of solar systems and manufacturing processes that require even less carbon emissions to produce their solar panels.

Solar panel manufacturers can look for many ways to reduce their associated carbon footprints, such as sourcing materials from closer locations (less transportation required) or using raw materials with less environmentally impactful mining processes. 

Manufacturers can also look for opportunities to produce their solar panels in factories that don’t burn fossil fuels. 

Can you imagine how low the carbon footprint of solar energy production would be if all solar panels were produced in factories using solar energy themselves?

Additionally, solar energy facility owners can aim to source solar panels locally in order to reduce the carbon footprints associated with overseas production and transportation.

Final Thoughts

Proponents of fossil fuels and green energy skeptics often try to make the argument that, since solar panels do have some associated carbon footprint, solar energy plants are not that much better for the planet and the climate than traditional power plants — this could not be further from the truth.

As we’ve demonstrated in this article, there are certain actions that go into getting solar energy facilities up and running that result in carbon emissions. However, these are almost all during the early stages of a solar panel’s life.

Considering the fact that solar panels can produce renewable energy with zero greenhouse gas emissions for about 25-30 years, and can pay back their initial carbon debt in as little as 1 year, solar power is vastly safer for the environment than non-renewable power sources.

Atmos supports renewable solar energy

Atmos Financial is proud to support climate-positive renewable energy projects, including solar and wind power production.

When you bank with Atmos, you can actually see the CO2 emissions your deposits are helping remove from the atmosphere — right alongside your account balances.

Apply for an Atmos account today or contact us for more information about how they use your funds to fight climate change.