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Solar modules now selling for less than €0.06/W in Europe (www.pv-magazine.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 6 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Manufacturing photovoltaics takes a huge pile of chemicals that need to be handled properly to not cause any harm to the environment

Source for this? Cadmium is exclusive to 1 US manufacturer.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    The argument is always "solar/wind still use chemicals" and never "this is the net reliance on extractive industry by energy source".

    That said, general energy conservation is still important. You can't cut emissions if all your new power just gets funnelled into Grok style AI.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I don't know that processing silicon is a polluting activity. There is heat involved, and some Chinese producers are 100% solar powered for their processing. Though I'm sure bulldozers or shipps/trucks are involved in obtaining sand.

    I'm not a fan of any appeals to gatekeep energy use to "just essentials" instead permitting growth that people want, and cleaning up the energy use involved.

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