Is solar power generation more wasteful than efficient since it costs so much to produce the materials?
In the early years of the PV industry, there was a nasty rumor circulating that said PV modules would never produce as much power over their lifetimes as it took to manufacture them. During the early years of development, when transistors were a novelty, and handmade PV modules costing as much as $40,000 per watt were being used exclusively for spacecraft, this was true. The truth now is that PV modules pay back their manufacturing energy investment in about 1.5 years’ time (only a fraction of the typical warranty period), depending on module type, installation climate, and other conditions.
Related Questions
- I’ve heard that solar is more wasteful than efficient since it costs so much to produce the materials. Is that true?
- Is solar power generation more wasteful than efficient since it costs so much to produce the materials?
- How do the costs of on-site hypochlorite generation compare to purchasing commercial hypochlorite?
