People say solar panels don't produce carbon emissions, but they do. And now, a major new investigation by Environmental Progress, drawing on the research of @enricomariutti , finds that solar panels made in China produce at least 3x more carbon emissions than IPCC claims.
Solar Panels More Carbon-Intensive Than Claimed
Ecoinvent, the world’s largest database on the environmental impact of renewables, has no data from China, even though it makes most of the world's solar panels
by @cpcolum @LeaBoothJr
This investigation was done in… https://t.co/8pKSIgeo4Atwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
A Lone And Obstinate Italian Data Crusader
The China-sized black hole at the heart of the world’s photovoltaic data might, in the context of the industry, seem obvious.
That didn’t make it any easier for Enrico Mariutti, an introspective but compulsive 37-year-old Italian from… https://t.co/eAOcPaCUaPtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
De Wild-Scholten’s Secret Data Stash
In two emailed responses, Wild-Scholten said that, when determining the electricity consumption of silicon purification, which is used to make wafers, she rarely read scientific papers “because of low data quality, outdated data and or… https://t.co/4ycfwtIcLytwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The Missing Chinese Data
When scientists, academics, or researchers lack accurate data in the Western world, they usually work hard to fill the data void directly. Major efforts are undertaken, and huge sums are spent on sourcing ever more reliable and better data.
Not so,… https://t.co/I6RgKP8C7atwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Circular Data
For more clarity on why researchers continue to rely on Ecoinvent despite the oversights, Environmental Progress contacted Mariutti’s Twitter sparring partner, Dr. Raugei. He explained that one of the reasons the database has come to prominence was because of how… https://t.co/bUQW4Hh2o5twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The IEA Perspective
After a number of lengthy exchanges with Environmental Progress, IEA representatives and collaborators could only offer evasive and not always entirely corroborating answers.
“It’s true that silicon purification is the most energy-intensive stage in PV… https://t.co/kOCRZMXVDPtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
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