The European Economy is about to collapse

Thanks to the west pushing for war in Ukraine the Western European economy is teetering on the edge as the region runs out of energy. No Natural Gas, No oil, No Electricity from Nuclear and definitely not not enough energy from solar and wind. The only question is how far the civil unrest will go before the governments fall.

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ElwoodBlues · M

@Ozuye502 says

You do realize that it takes more energy tp make 1 solar panel than it will ever produce?

That was briefly true of the industry as a whole in 2010 during a period of rapid growth in solar manufacturing. But it's completely FALSE regarding current solar panel manufacturing. And it's FALSE regarding per panel economics.

"Though the answer is highly variable, in general terms, it takes about 200kWh to create a 100-watt solar panel."

"One hundred watts x 10 hours of direct sunlight per day = 1000 watts of energy per day. 1000 × 365 days per year = 365kWh of energy per year."

assume it costs $0.10 for a kWh of energy. So:
* $.10 x 200kWh = $20 = About $20 in costs to make the panel.
* $.10×365 = $36.50 worth of energy per year
* $36.50 × 25 years = $912.50 in energy production per lifecycle (25-years.)

https://solvoltaics.com/energy-make-solar-panel/

Thus the typical solar panel in a typical installation pays its full energy cost within the first year of use.

MarineBob · 56-60, M

@ElwoodBlues how many solar panels are on your home? Better yet, how many on the Capitol Building and the Whitehouse?

ElwoodBlues · M

@MarineBob I have eighteen panels on the roof, installed this June. And a plugin hybrid in the garage. In the month of July I generated an average of 17.5 kWh/day. It's an east by southeast face with some neighbor's trees in the way, so not optimal.

BTW, paying the energy cost is not the same as paying the dollar cost; that will take about ten years. The next 15 years are pure profit. Unless energy costs continue to rise; then the profit point arrives earlier.

how many on the Capitol Building and the Whitehouse

Places like that can afford to build solar farms out where land is cheaper. As I drive along highways here in the northeast, I see more and more roadside solar installations with hundreds of panels. Congress & the White House are office buildings; they don't really use that much energy.

hippyjoe:

More than 90% of the components in solar systems are recyclable. They are made of three primary materials – glass, silicon, and metal.

Nothing toxic there, BTW.

hippyjoe1955 · 70-79, M

@ElwoodBlues By then the solar panels will need to be replaced which will create toxic waste because of what is in the panels. I have had numerous people inform me that their investment in solar panels did not pay off. Nice idea but they don't work as imagined.