Solar power is shit

[furrowtickler]

How are the raw materials for solar panels and storage batteries obtained again ??? Strip mining rare earth minerals? And how’s the recycling set up for all this when it becomes obsolete again ? I just can’t put my finger on all this ... lol

[furrowtickler]

I guess as long as the raw materials needed for solar power is strip mined in Afghanistan , it’s better than oil sands in our own country... out of sight out of mind ... oh the hypocrisy lol

[chuckChuck]

Furrow, glad to see you are concerned about the environmental impact of solar. But why single out the impact of solar and not all other technologies? The only reason to do that is to criticize solar.

Yes we need to be concerned about it and yes we need to plan on recycling. But solar has one huge advantage in that the fuel source is free for everyone and exceptionally clean. I am willing to bet that solar is one of the least resource depleting and environmental degrading technologies available. As panels get more efficient and have longer life spans then the impacts will continue to decline.

Until we have the unbiased facts on the environmental foot print of each technology minus the politics it is going to be difficult to come to an informed decision.

[Blaithin]

How are the raw materials for solar panels and storage batteries obtained again ??? Strip mining rare earth minerals? And how’s the recycling set up for all this when it becomes obsolete again ? I just can’t put my finger on all this ... lol

Only need batteries if you're off grid so that's not a problem in most larger systems. (Do you use batteries as an argument against using fuel powered vehicles? Or your TV remote?) Also battery technology improves the more it's used, same as anything else really.

There's two big, technical solar words I can't remember off the top of my head. One is Mono something and the other Poly the same something. More or less the Mono ones are the modules made up of the whole piece doing the PV work. The Poly ones are made up of the scraps trimmed off the Mono.

Mono is more efficient than the Poly, but the Poly prove that some level of recycling is possible. If it's not possible or in the works yet, I'm sure someone will eventually get it so that old, broken and no longer functioning modules can be broke down and made new again.