Land Use
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Generation of Electricity : Larger PV plants (3.4 acres per gigawatt-hour per year) and CSP plants (3.5 acres/GWh/year).
This large plants can also cause habitat loss and degrade the land.
This large plants can also cause habitat loss and degrade the land.
Water Use
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Solar PV cells don’t require water to create electricity, but some water is required to manufacture solar PV components.
Concentrating solar thermal plants (CSP) use water for cooling (This is common for most thermal electric plants).
Concentrating solar thermal plants (CSP) use water for cooling (This is common for most thermal electric plants).
Hazardous Material
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A lot of hazardous materials are used to clean and purify the semiconductor surface (hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrogen fluoride, and acetone).
There’s also the risk of inhaling silicon dust.
If they are damaged or disposed improperly, they contain hazardous material that that can harm the environment.
There’s also the risk of inhaling silicon dust.
If they are damaged or disposed improperly, they contain hazardous material that that can harm the environment.
Life Cycle
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Although generating electricity from solar energy is completely eco-friendly, there are emissions connected with other stages of the solar life-cycle. This includes manufacturing, materials transportation, installation, maintenance, and decommissioning and dismantlement.
The life-cycle emissions:
Photovoltaic systems : between 0.07 and 0.18 pounds of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour
Concentrating solar power : ranges from 0.08 to 0.2 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour.
These numbers are excellent compared to the lifecycle emission rates for natural gas (0.6-2 lbs of CO2E/kWh) and coal (1.4-3.6 lbs of CO2E/kWh)
The life-cycle emissions:
Photovoltaic systems : between 0.07 and 0.18 pounds of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour
Concentrating solar power : ranges from 0.08 to 0.2 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour.
These numbers are excellent compared to the lifecycle emission rates for natural gas (0.6-2 lbs of CO2E/kWh) and coal (1.4-3.6 lbs of CO2E/kWh)