ScienceDaily (Feb. 26, 2008) — In a finding that could help ease concerns about the potential environmental impact of manufacturing solar cells, scientists report that the manufacture of solar cells produces far fewer air pollutants than conventional fossil fuel technologies. Their report is the first comprehensive study on the pollutants produced during the manufacture of solar cells.

Solar energy has been touted for years as a safer, cleaner alternative to burning fossil fuels to meet rising energy demands. However, environmentalists and others are increasingly concerned about the potential negative impact of solar cell (photovoltaic) technology.

Manufacture of photovoltaic cells requires potentially toxic metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium and produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming.

In the new study, Vasilis M. Fthenakis and colleagues gathered air pollution emissions data from 13 solar cell manufacturers in Europe and the United States from 2004-2006. The solar cells include four major commercial types: multicrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon, ribbon silicon, and thin-film cadmium telluride.

The researchers found that producing electricity from solar cells reduces air pollutants by about 90 percent in comparison to using conventional fossil fuel technologies.

The study "Emissions from Photovoltaic Life Cycles" is scheduled for the March 15 issue of the ACS' Environmental Science & Technology. doi./10.1021/es071763q

enlarge

Manufacturing solar cells, which harness the energy of the sun, produces far few pollutants than conventional fossil fuel technologies, scientists say. (Credit: Courtesy of NASA)

Related Stories

Go Solar, Wind Or Geothermal If You Want Renewable Energy With Life-cycle Efficiency (Aug. 18, 2007) — Do the overall efficiencies of renewable energy sources add up in terms of their complete life cycle from materials sourcing, manufacture, running, and decommissioning? Using these criteria, ...  > read more

Nano Flakes May Revolutionize Solar Cells (Dec. 19, 2007) — A new material, nano flakes, may revolutionize the transformation of solar energy to electricity. If one researcher's future solar cells meet the expectations, both the economy and the environment ...  > read more

Solar Energy Conversion Offers A Solution To Help Mitigate Global Warming (Mar. 12, 2007) — Solar energy has the power to reduce greenhouse gases and provide increased energy efficiency, says a scientist at the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. Last month, The ...  > read more

Toward The Next Generation Of High-efficiency Plastic Solar Cells (Mar. 19, 2008) — Researchers report an advance toward the next generation of plastic solar cells, which are widely heralded as a low cost, environmentally-friendly alternative to inorganic solar cells for meeting ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Bringing Sunlight Inside