Is Solar Energy Really Green?-promp 6

By : Ibrahim sairafi

According to engineering.com, solar energy has been praised and applauded for various reasons, some of which include:

Environmental Advantages

As compared to other sources of electricity and power generation, solar power has much less impact on the environment.

Reduced Dependency on Fossil Fuels

Since solar energy is not derived from fossil fuels, it is therefore much less dependent on it. Fossil fuels are very limited and are becoming increasingly expensive 

Modularity and Scalability

Applications of solar technologies are easily scalable and versatile because the size and capacity of power generation are based on the number of modules installed.

Flexible Locations

Solar facilities can be installed at the consumer's premises which reduce the total investment required in the production and transportation layouts.

Matching Peak Time Demand with Peak Time Output

Solar energy can effectively compliment electricity supply from transmission grids if and when demands peak.

Although all these benefits hold a lot of significance, there is more about solar energy that needs to be discussed and brought forward.

As engineers, we are supposed to engage energy firms to promote many energy schemes and solar energy is marketed highly as being green. But solar energy is also harmful to the environment and human welfare for a variety of reasons.

Firstly, solar cells are barely green. Photovoltaic manufacturing requires toxic and explosive compounds which are not only hazardous for employees but for nearby residents as well. Apart from this, when solar cells are disposed off, at the end of their life, all their heavy metal ingredients can seep into the groundwater which poses further health risks to citizens.

Secondly, you need energy to create energy. Fossil fuels are used because they are dense, storable, portable, substitutable, and transformable into other products. When we use up these disposable yet limited to build solar products, we are only left with energy that is not dense and instead it’s diffuse. It is not even storable, portable, substitutable or transformable. These restrictions and effects are not easily measurable and, therefore, are not publicized and documented in an official analysis.

Thirdly, there is no solid evidence to prove that solar cells have zero carbon energy technology. In fact, there is research that states the opposite. According to a study about Nature Climate Change by the University of Oregon, Richard York hints the opposite. Solar cells do not actually use fossil fuels or carbon footprints in practice, but that’s just an illusion. Solar cells completely depend on fossil fuels during mining, fabrication, installation and maintenance. They also need power plants or other storage equipment like batteries, which have further environmental impacts.

The solar industry generally highlights the low costs of polysilicon and other components of solar cells. But these only represent less than half the cost of an installed solar system. Equipment costs, installation costs and the maintenance and insurance of solar systems are very high. And these costs contribute to three-quarters of the total costs.

Conclusion

Even if solar systems were really more efficient and less costly, they could only be used to be an extension of other energy supplies. Textbooks display solar cells and solar energy to be green and silver lined. But the experience will prove to have various implications and restrictions.