How is solar power bad for the environment?

Answer 1

• Solar energy, that is, electricity produced from PV(photovoltaic) cells and panels (rooftops), or electricity generated by steam turbines heated by solar power (concentrating mirrors) produces no pollution at all. (Old forms of electricity generation, from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), release huge amounts of carbon dioxide, causing global warming and climate change.)
• The manufacturing of any equipment for solar energy production has a carbon footprint because most power still uses fossil fuel energy. Three months use of the solar equipment equals out this carbon footprint.
• The manufacturing of solar cells and panels pollutes by their use of heavy metals like Mercury, lead and cadmium. This is similar, but much less than the heavy metal pollution from coal-fired power plants.

A:Currently our primary means of producing energy is burning fossil fuels, which is a chemical reaction. All chemical reactions have byproducts, some of which are pollutants. With solar energy, though, we capture energy directly so there are no byproducts. A:If by solar energy you mean ultraviolet light, one of the wavelengths in sunlight, yes it can, UV causes reactive volatile organic compounds from automobile exhaust and nitrogen oxides to react and cause photochemical smog.

If you want to know about the collection of solar energy for power supplies, the equipment for solar energy conversion requires solar cells which require rare earth elements and an heavy metals. These cause pollution in their mining, manufacturing and disposal.

A:The large scale solar farms can disrupt ecologies and take up farm land, both of which activities are not environmentally friendly. A:Contrary to popular belief, the process of manufacturing solar panels can and does create enormous amounts of harmful and toxic waste. Because the most of the solar panels consumed in the west are manufactured in China, the nature and extent of this pollution is hidden from the consumers of solar panels. We get the illusion of 'green, clean energy' on our shores, by exporting environmental ruin to the countries where the panels are manufactured. Polysilicon manufacturing yields the byproduct silicon tetrachloride, a highly dangerous and toxic chemical. On September 19, in 2011, a village in eastern China rioted against a local solar panel manufacturing firm for dumping harmful and toxic chemicals into its river and poisoning the local fishing industry. In 2010, the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition conducted a survey of manufacturing and found that solar manufacturers were using lead (a powerful neurotoxin), cadmium (a known carcinogen), and the greenhouse gas nitrogen triflouride in the creation of their products.