Do Solar Electric Modules ever generate the amount of energy used to produce them?
Depending on the available sun shine the ecological payback is less then two years. Typical conversion rates of solar modules are 12 to 15%, meaning that 15% of the energy that falls onto the module’s surface area is converted into DC power. Even at 12% the overall energy generated by the cells over the expected life span of 50 years is a tiny fraction of the energy used to build all components of the system.
