Solar Panels Now Make More Electricity Than They Use
BEST OF SCIENCE | APRIL 3, 2013
Solar panels make energy, but they take energy to make, too. And, until about 2010 or so, the solar panel industry used more electricity than it produced, according to a new analysis. Now, the industry is set to “pay back” the energy it used by 2020.
The study looked at what went into building and installing solar panels all over the world, including everything from home installations to solar farms, says Michael Dale, a climate and energy researcher at Stanford University, in a Stanford-produced video. He and a senior scientist, Sally Benson, thought that because the solar panel industry was growing so quickly, it might actually be using more electricity than it produced. Instead, they found an industry at a crux.
“I think that this paper shows that actually the industry is making positive strides and it’s even in spite of its fantastically fast growth rates, it’s still producing, or it’s just about to start producing, a net energy benefit to society,” Dale said.
Science Mentality 