It's no secret that solar panels have environmental benefits – they reduce the amount of electricity we have to buy from the grid, therefore lowering the use of natural resources such as coal, oil and gas.
All this is well and good, but what efforts are made to ensure they are produced in an environmentally-friendly way?
After all, there is little point in us installing these panels if they are built in a way that damages the environment!
As You Sow, a non-profit organisation based in San Francisco, has taken it upon itself to investigate just that – and was pleasantly surprised by its findings.
The report entitled Clean and Green: Best Practices in Photovoltaics indicated that solar panel manufacturers are under more scrutiny than other industries simply because of the nature of what they do.
Report author Amy Galland explained that the solar power industry is also very responsive to recommendations, but as with everything, there is still room for improvement.
A number of challenges stand in the way of sustainability, namely the use of toxic substances during the manufacturing process and some companies failing to stick to health and safety codes.
On the plus side, many manufacturers have started their own initiatives to lower their water use and are taking part in voluntary work safety programs.
Not only this, but producing solar panels is safer for workers than fossil fuel equipment, which can only be a good thing.
So should you ever decide to fit solar panels to your property, you can be rest assured that they have largely been manufactured in an eco-friendly way.
Not only that, but you will be generating electricity with virtually no emissions – it's a win-win situation!
Posted by Mike Peacock