Although the use of solar panels is green many solar panel manufacturing processes are not.
Carbon footprint of producing solar panels.
The production of photovoltaic panels still has an important carbon footprint and creates a series of waste liquid and gaseous by products that are harmful to the environment.
Firstly the extraction of quartz the crystalline form of silicon and of the other materials necessary for the construction of the panels.
The energy saving trust says a typical home solar pv system could save around 1 3 to 1 6 tonnes of carbon per year depending on.
How much do solar panels reduce carbon footprint.
For instance concentrated solar power csp has a footprint of 20 grams of carbon dioxide co2 per kilowatt hour kwh of electricity produced in addition to consuming vast amounts.
2 4 metric tons of co2 produced by the average uk household s electricity consumption completely switching to using solar panels to produce green electricity instead would be the equivalent of planting more than 9 trees a year.