What's Wrong with Wind and Solar? 0:47 / 5:35 What's Wrong with Wind and Solar?

Prager University ^ | 9/14/2020 | Mark Mills

[slouper]

“Think of our energy needs like a cake. The only thing solar and wind can ever hope to be is the frosting.”

Interesting, I’ll go a step further, think of it as nothing more than the crumbs left on the serving tray that eventually get thrown in the trash.

[MrChips]

You know more than I do. But, I still think environmentally safe disposal of old panels is a big issue.

[JAKraig]

When it comes time to dispose of them they will likely just be ground up and be sand for road concrete. That is basically what they came from, both the glass and the photo cell.

I don’t think disposal will really be a problem, it will be a business opportunity for somebody.

[MrChips]

No. I think they are full of bad chemicals.

[JAKraig]

Yes, there are some heavy metals in solar cells but it is pretty well encapsulated in the silica.

The biggest environmental problem with solar cells is in their mining and manufacturing processes. The manufacturing takes a lot of sulfuric acid. The acid can be used over and over again but some companies don’t they just use new and dump the old into the river.

Newer processes for the manufacture of solar cells don’t require sulfuric acid, most manufactures will be moving toward this process. Thin film PV’s don’t require sulfuric acid in their manufacturing process. They do still have some heavy metals associated with their manufacturing processes but not much.

The biggest down side of manufacturing solar cells is the tremendous amount of heat needed to make them. Basically they have to melt quartz. It will take a long while to make up all the electricity used in making them.

While the above is true, the same can be said for many of the items we use everyday, solar cells are just like most other manufactured items except they do have some redeeming qualities.