Solar power is a fraud.
Solar isn't free. It comes at a huge price.
I was recently pitched that solar power was not only better for the environment, renewable, etc., but it would cost me nothing. Both are a lie.
The initial refining turns quartz into metallurgical-grade silicon, a substance used mostly to harden steel and other metals. That happens in giant furnaces, and keeping them hot takes a lot of energy, a subject we'll return to later. Fortunately, the levels of the resulting emissions—mostly carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide—can't do much harm to the people working at silicon refineries or to the immediate environment.
The next step, however—turning metallurgical-grade silicon into a purer form called polysilicon—creates the very toxic compound silicon tetrachloride. The refinement process involves combining hydrochloric acid with metallurgical-grade silicon to turn it into what is called trichlorosilane. The trichlorosilane then reacts with added hydrogen, producing polysilicon along with liquid silicon tetrachloride—three or four tons of silicon tetrachloride for every ton of polysilicon.
You see it takes the same amount of carbon-based fuels to make the photovoltaic component as well a very toxic by-product. It's more dangerous to the environment than just burning wood to cook your food. If you make a forest of trees for the sole purpose of using it as fuel, you are better off.
Don't fall for the lie that solar is better, cleaner, and "sustainable" Panels have about a 20-year life, then you gotta do it all again. You've also spent about 20 years' worth of fuel, to create those very same panels that you will be using for 20 years but only received about 80% of energy in return for the 100% put into the devices to create them. Not very efficient nor good for the earth. And then the by-product of creating the photovoltaic components. Yikes.
Here's one for you:
The struggle to keep photovoltaics green does not end with the production of polysilicon. Solar-cell manufacturers purify chunks of polysilicon to form bricklike ingots and then slice the ingots into wafers. Then they introduce impurities into the silicon wafers, creating the essential solar-cell architecture that produces the photovoltaic effect.
These steps all involve hazardous chemicals. For example, manufacturers rely on hydrofluoric acid to clean the wafers, remove the damage that comes from sawing, and texture the surface to better collect light. Hydrofluoric acid works great for all these things, but when it touches an unprotected person, this highly corrosive liquid can destroy tissue and decalcify bones. So handling hydrofluoric acid requires extreme care, and it must be disposed of properly.
But accidents do happen and are more likely in places that have limited experience manufacturing semiconductors or that have lax environmental regulations. In August 2011, a factory in China's Zhejiang province owned by Jinko Solar Holding Co., one of the largest photovoltaic companies in the world, spilled hydrofluoric acid into the nearby Mujiaqiao River, killing hundreds of fish. And farmers working adjacent lands, who used the contaminated water to clean their animals, accidentally killed dozens of pigs. Now, no one can eat those pigs. Burn a log and cook a pig. That's how you eat pigs, not poisoning them with hydrofluoric acid.
The initial refining turns quartz into metallurgical-grade silicon, a substance used mostly to harden steel and other metals. That happens in giant furnaces, and keeping them hot takes a lot of energy, a subject we'll return to later. Fortunately, the levels of the resulting emissions—mostly carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide—can't do much harm to the people working at silicon refineries or to the immediate environment.
The next step, however—turning metallurgical-grade silicon into a purer form called polysilicon—creates the very toxic compound silicon tetrachloride. The refinement process involves combining hydrochloric acid with metallurgical-grade silicon to turn it into what is called trichlorosilane. The trichlorosilane then reacts with added hydrogen, producing polysilicon along with liquid silicon tetrachloride—three or four tons of silicon tetrachloride for every ton of polysilicon.
You see it takes the same amount of carbon-based fuels to make the photovoltaic component as well a very toxic by-product. It's more dangerous to the environment than just burning wood to cook your food. If you make a forest of trees for the sole purpose of using it as fuel, you are better off.
Don't fall for the lie that solar is better, cleaner, and "sustainable" Panels have about a 20-year life, then you gotta do it all again. You've also spent about 20 years' worth of fuel, to create those very same panels that you will be using for 20 years but only received about 80% of energy in return for the 100% put into the devices to create them. Not very efficient nor good for the earth. And then the by-product of creating the photovoltaic components. Yikes.
Here's one for you:
The struggle to keep photovoltaics green does not end with the production of polysilicon. Solar-cell manufacturers purify chunks of polysilicon to form bricklike ingots and then slice the ingots into wafers. Then they introduce impurities into the silicon wafers, creating the essential solar-cell architecture that produces the photovoltaic effect.
These steps all involve hazardous chemicals. For example, manufacturers rely on hydrofluoric acid to clean the wafers, remove the damage that comes from sawing, and texture the surface to better collect light. Hydrofluoric acid works great for all these things, but when it touches an unprotected person, this highly corrosive liquid can destroy tissue and decalcify bones. So handling hydrofluoric acid requires extreme care, and it must be disposed of properly.
But accidents do happen and are more likely in places that have limited experience manufacturing semiconductors or that have lax environmental regulations. In August 2011, a factory in China's Zhejiang province owned by Jinko Solar Holding Co., one of the largest photovoltaic companies in the world, spilled hydrofluoric acid into the nearby Mujiaqiao River, killing hundreds of fish. And farmers working adjacent lands, who used the contaminated water to clean their animals, accidentally killed dozens of pigs. Now, no one can eat those pigs. Burn a log and cook a pig. That's how you eat pigs, not poisoning them with hydrofluoric acid.
I could go on and on as to the "cost" to create solar panels. The bottom line is, there is no way you can create a device that comes between an originating fuel source and its end use without expending more fuel and resources than just using the original fuel source, to begin with. The laws of physics and thermal dynamics just can't be ignored. You can't create something for nothing and the more you try to create, the more energy is converted into some use other than you intend to use it for. The energy used to make the photovoltaic components could have been used for the purpose ultimately needed in the first place.
Your best approach is to start a fire and cook your bacon on that fire. You'll cook your food, create light, and stay warm. Very efficient. You don't need the "middle management". Is it a nice utopic idea? Sure, but frankly there is no utopia on this earth. A promise for utopia is only a lie in disguise. Sound familiar? Read Genesis chapter 3. 'Nuff said.
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