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this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2023
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Asklemmy
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Everything has a cost of course, building solar panel requires a significant amount of precious metals, which may or may not be easily accessible or affordable depending on the political climate between countries who mine vs the countries who needs the resources.
And the production of solar panel does create some toxic leftovers which needs to make handled appropriately. Not saying they're a bad alternative and they're definitely before than fossil fuel or coal, just needs to consider the cost and the impact of everything.
Mmm, no, no they dont. Solar panels are primarily made from silicon. Sand.
They also need
and some others rare-earth elements, as well as some platinum-group metals. The current photocell chemistry we use is quite complex.
Youve pulled this out your ass https://www.kloecknermetals.com/blog/a-guide-to-metals-for-solar-suppliers/#:~:text=The%20primary%20metals%20used%20in,wiring%20of%20the%20solar%20array.
https://www.iea.org/reports/the-role-of-critical-minerals-in-clean-energy-transitions/mineral-requirements-for-clean-energy-transitions
and even then, solar panels are only one part of the whole system, since the source of energy fluctuates significantly.
solar panels do not use these metals you are worried about