Solar Energy On Track to ‘Pay Back’ What It Has Used
Those funky looking solar panels have used a lot more electricity than they produced, but they are now on track to ‘pay back’ the energy they’ve used by 2020, according to new analysis.
The study, from Stanford University analyzed what went into building and installing solar panels all over the world, including everything from home installations to solar farms, according to Michael Dale, a climate and energy researcher at Stanford University, in a Stanford-produced video.
The information was recently published in Popular Science.
He and a senior scientist, Sally Benson, thought that because the solar panel industry was growing so quickly, it might actually be using more electricity than it produced.
Instead, they found an industry at a crux.
“I think that this paper shows that actually the industry is making positive strides and it’s even in spite of its fantastically fast growth rates, it’s still producing, or it’s just about to start producing, a net energy benefit to society,” Dale said.
Most solar panels manufacturers now consume lots of electricity, usually pulled from coal or other fossil fuel-burning plants.
Stanford News pointed to the example of melting silica rock to obtain the silicon used in most panels. The melting requires electricity to fire ovens to a temperature of about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Solar panels’ energy balance is now tipping, however, because newer technologies reduce that electricity consumption. For example, some newer panels require less silicon, or waste less material in the manufacturing process. Researchers are also looking to replace silicon with more abundant elements, such as copper, zinc, tin and carbon.
According to ‘The Verge,’ the future looks even brighter, according to the study, with researchers projecting that the industry will be generating enough power between 2015 and 2020 to offset all of the historic creation costs. There are some important caveats to that future outlook, including that installation and materials costs continue to drop at the rapid rate they have been. Still, the researchers are optimistic solar has finally turned an important corner on its way to becoming a more mainstream energy source.