One of my LinkedIn connections who advocate for geothermal energy and oil & gas energy rather than solar energy mentioned that China uses approximately 500 gram coal to manufacture one solar panel. I thought many times on his comment to reflect that “does that mean solar energy is not green and it just shifts emissions from one part of the Earth to the other part.
But now I started analyzing in depth, getting more information and data to get the real picture. Even if it is true that one solar panel that is 400 watts takes 500 gram of coal for production, that one solar panel can produce 4 Kilowatt energy just in 10 hours of sunshine equivalent to the energy that it consumed from 500 grams of coal. And it will keep producing that much energy per day for straight 20 years without further emissions. It makes sense to me to have a solar power system on your roof. But I recommend hybrid one as compared to grid tied solar system. Hybrid system have both benefits to sell energy to utility company and act as emergency back up system in case of power outages.