Solar energy and resources

 

John Lee Pettimore

@JohnLeePettim13

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20h

Solar panels with a power capacity of 1 GW require about 18.5 tons of silver, 3,380 tons of polysilicon, and 10,252 tons of aluminum.

Producing just the polysilicon requires 8,112 tons of quartz, 2,028 tons of coal, 1,149.2 tons of petroleum coke, 5,121 tons of charcoal, and 2,230 tons of woodchips.

To make the 1 GW, 18.5 tons of silver: 18.5 × 250 MWh = 4,625 MWh is roughly the equivalent to the yearly electricity consumption of 350-400 U.S. households.

To make the aluminum requires 10,252 tons × 190 GJ/ton = ~1,948,000 GJ or the equivalent of the yearly electricity consumption of 100,000+ average households.

Things #GreenEnergy advocates never want to talk about.