When you use solar energy in your home you lower your overall greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide and you reduce your carbon footprint.
C02 emissions from manufacturing solar panels.
The second issue is how much greenhouse house gas ghg is avoided by using solar power with the typical focus on carbon dioxide co2 the most.
Here s another way to look at it even using lca life cycle assessment wikipedia.
Energy payback for solar panels is 1 3 years.
Solar panels payback the energy in 1.
Water is yet another issue.
Making and using solar panels emits zero co2 in a 100 renewable energy system.
By scott cramer although the use of solar panels is green many solar panel manufacturing processes are not.
So perhaps someday powering photovoltaic panel manufacturing with wind solar and geothermal energy will end concerns about the carbon footprint of photovoltaics.
Most solar companies use their own solar panels to power their panel manufacturing plants so the consumption of fossil fuel derived energy to make panels is now very low and getting lower.
To create a solar panel caustic materials will emit greenhouse gases.