Please note!

This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Do solar panels produce at least as much energy as it takes to manufacture them?

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

By Mikayla Campbell

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YES

Over time, solar panels produce more energy than they take to build.

Once a solar panel system is built, it doesn't take any energy to operate. But the photovoltaic systems do take energy to manufacture them, so it's useful to measure their "energy payback." A federal laboratory defines that as "how long a PV system must operate to recover the energy—and associated generation of pollution and CO2—that went into making the system in the first place."

An Environmental Science & Technology study finds that most solar panels' energy payback is 4 years or less. Assuming a likely 30-year system life, the panels will provide a net gain of at least 26 years.

The study also finds that as the technology continues to improve the payback period will continue to decrease.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Clean energy from photovoltaics

American Chemical Society: Energy balance of photovoltaics

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.