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For every 1 MW of solar panels produced, about 1.4 tonnes of toxic substances (including hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and hydrogen fluoride) and 2868 tonnes of water are used, while 8.6 tonnes of emissions are released. 🧵
8.1 tonnes of which are the perfluorinated compounds sulfur hexafluoride, nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), and hexafluoroethane that are thousands of times more potent than CO2.
Other toxic byproducts, such as trichlorosilane gas, silicon tetrachloride, and dangerous particulates from the wafer sawing process, are also produced. Amorphous (thin-film) solar panels are made with cadmium, which is a carcinogen and genotoxin.
PV has a low energy return on energy invested (EROEI) and by 2050 dead solar panels could account for 10% of all e-waste streams, and their cumulative end-of-life waste may be greater than all e-waste in 2018
Recycling requires copious amounts of energy, water, and other inputs, and exposes workers to toxic materials that have to be disposed of.
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