An American study has questioned the value of solar panels as the manufacturing process behind them is so "spectacularly inefficient" that it could outweigh the environmental benefit of the product.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) carried out research into the energy needed in new manufacturing processes and compared them to traditional methods like casting and machining. “In short,” they say, “making microchips uses up…more energy than making manhole covers.” The manufacture of solar panels is “escalating dramatically”, said MIT, and the processes behind them…
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