Direct Carbon Footprint – NONE
- There are no global warming emissions from generating electricity with solar PV
Indirect Carbon Footprint – YES
“The Carbon Footprint.” European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA). March 2011. Web. 18 Apr 2015. Retrieved from EPIA
- However, there are emissions associated with other stages of solar PV life cycle, i.e.,
- Manufacturing
- Materials transportation
- Installation
- Maintenance
- Decommissioning
- Dismantlement
- Estimates of life cycle emission are between .07 and .18 pounds of CO2
Author: Hannah Goldstein
Editor: Abby Studen
Sources
“Environmental Impacts of Solar Power.” Union of Concerned Scientists. Energy, Renewable Energy. Revised: March 5, 2013. Web. 15 Apr 2015. http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy/environmental-impacts-solar-power.html#.VTPjz1XF-Hw
“The Carbon Footprint.” European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA). March 2011. Web. 18 Apr 2015. http://www.epia.org/index.php?eID=tx_nawsecuredl&u=0&file=/uploads/tx_epiafactsheets/110513_Fact_Sheet_on_the_Carbon_Footprint. pdf&t=1429540042&hash=ce3977152cd5d42981ff266219261ec7972e7d50