Quote:
Originally Posted by Louis
A buddy of mine at work told me a while ago that it takes more energy to make any given photo voltaic cell than you'll ever get from it in it's entire lifetime.
I don't know if that's true or not, but if it is, then PV cells are merely a means of shifting the environmental damage / cost of the energy produced from the end-user (say, US or Europe) to the location where they're made (say, China).
That's somewhat true regardless of the ratio of input to output, but for the earth's environment as a whole that would truly be galling.
Does anyone know if the "you'll never get out more than you put in" statement is true?
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The statement is categorically false. Studies have shown that, depending on the technology of the actual panel, it takes between 1 and 4 years to result in a net zero of energy to manufacture vs. energy produced. Given that the panels will continue to generate for another 20 to 25 years, there is no issue.