Environmental impact of photovoltaic solar power generation

What are the environmental impacts of solar power?

The potential environmental impacts associated with solar power—land use and habitat loss, water use, and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing—can vary greatly depending on the technology, which includes two broad categories: photovoltaic (PV) solar cells or concentrating solar thermal plants (CSP).

Do solar PV systems impact the environment?

The previous literature review reveals a well-established environmental impacts assessment of the solar PV systems is crucial. Currently, there is a gap in the literature regarding the impact of different PV system components on the environment.

Does photovoltaic development affect the environment?

Moreover, all indicators in the scheme layer, which are used to evaluate ecological and environmental quality, yielded higher scores for the WPS than for the TPS and OPS, demonstrating that photovoltaic development has a positive effect on desert area ecology and the environment.

Do solar energy technologies affect the environment?

However, producing and using solar energy technologies may have some environmental affects. Solar energy technologies require materials, such as metals and glass, that are energy intensive to make.

Are solar energy systems causing environmental problems?

The environmental issues related to producing these materials could be associated with solar energy systems. A number of organizations and researchers have conducted PV energy payback analysis and concluded that a PV system can produce energy equivalent to the energy used for its manufacture within 1 to 4 years.

Why is photovoltaic energy important?

Furthermore, as a clean and renewable energy source, photovoltaic energy has contributed substantially to energy conservation, emission reduction, and environmental protection by fundamentally reducing greenhouse gas emissions such as CO 2 and N 2 O 31, 32, 33.