Yes it s true that making solar panels creates carbon dioxide but over the life of a solar installation it produces on average of 30x less co2 than coal power.
Co2 emissions solar panel.
Here s another way to look at it even using lca life cycle assessment wikipedia.
By scott cramer although the use of solar panels is green many solar panel manufacturing processes are not.
Solar panels payback the energy in 1.
Contrary to the claims of some critics today s research shows that the hidden emissions due to building wind turbines solar panels or nuclear plants are very low in comparison with the savings from avoiding fossil fuels.
For instance concentrated solar power csp has a footprint of 20 grams of carbon dioxide co2 per kilowatt hour kwh of electricity produced in addition to consuming vast amounts.
Energy payback for solar panels is 1 3 years.
To create a solar panel caustic materials will emit greenhouse gases.
The findings are presented in units of global warming potential per unit of electrical energy generated by that source.
Measurement of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions involves calculating the global warming potential of energy sources through life cycle assessment these are usually sources of only electrical energy but sometimes sources of heat are evaluated.