Answer to Question #60633 in Electricity and Magnetism for hamid

Question

what is the effect of SOLAR CELLS, used for electricity purposes,on environment i.e any change in temperature occurs or not ?

Answer 1

In the manufacture of solar cells use the harmful substances. Photocells contain toxic substances (lead, cadmium, gallium, arsenic). There is a problem of recycling and further processing modules, which have expired.
Due to the low efficiency (about 20%) solar cells become very hot. Solar panels heat the surrounding air. To reduce of heating solar panels use the active and passive cooling systems. The work of active cooling systems (of pumps) requires a large amount of energy. Passive cooling systems have a low efficiency. The undesirable environmental impact of solar panels: changing the heat balance (solar panels heat the air), shading of large areas of land (if placed on the ground).