3/6/2014,By Jim Meyer
![]() You want to save the world, but you still want to power that iPad, right? And you want to do it all on a budget? China’s got your back then, right? That’s the place, after all, where they’re cranking out the cut-rate solar panels. Well, not so right, according to a new study by Northwestern University and the U.S. Department of Energy. Funny thing: It takes a lot of energy to turn silicon into solar panels, and if you get that energy from fossil fuels like coal, and inefficient coal plants at that, your carbon footprint starts to look like a sasquatch after he stepped on a bee. (Did I mention bigfeet are allergic to bees? Totally true as far as I know.) Take it away Louise Lerner at Argonne National Laboratory:
So if you’re setting up your solar panels in Southern Europe, using Chinese solar panels doubles your carbon footprint over home-grown solar. And while the life cycle analysis factors in shipping the raw materials to the factories, it doesn’t take into account the green cost of shipping the panels halfway around the world. That ain’t cheap! Turns out when you’re planning to harvest the rays of our distant neighbor the sun, we’re glad you’re thinking globally, but as is true with your veggies, you’d better buy locally.
Jim Meyer is a Baltimore-based stand-up comedian, actor, retired roller derby announcer, and freelance writer. Follow his exploits at his website and on Twitter. Source: grist.org |