You are correct about the energy it took to produce the solar panels and geothermal wells.
A good bottom line to whether you actually are saving energy is to look at total cost. If the cost of the installation is greater than the cost of the electricity saved, you probably have not lowered your carbon footprint, but only “demoted” your carbon footprint.
A good answer to us having an efficient mix of use and conservation, balancing cost and benefit, is to stop all subsidies and special taxes for the production or use of energy, or for re-cylcing.
You’re right about total cost, and that’s not easy to determine. I am sure of one thing. There’s no way Gore’s sprawling mansion could have been manufactured with less total carbon-based energy than my house. Even with his geothermal wells and solar panels, he’s probably still using orders of magnitude more carbon-based energy than me even now.
If Al Gore was as really concerned about the environment as he claims, he’d unload the mansion and live in something much smaller. He’d also stop traveling all over the globe to meet with people and learn how to use the internet he designed...