Solar Panels vs. Coal: The Battle for Clean Energy and Environment

Global warming is one of the biggest issues we're facing today. It can lead to a range of problems, including rising sea levels, melting glaciers, storms and floods, droughts, diseases, economic challenges, heatwave occurrences, and destruction of ecosystems. To protect the environment, many countries are using clean energy and reducing coal use in energy production. Solar energy is a great example. This blog will look at the pros and cons of solar panels and coal from a global perspective and how solar will evolve in the future.

Solar Panel vs. Coal

As the name suggests, solar powered panels use solar power to generate electricity. They have the same advantages as other clean energy sources, plus some unique ones:

• Solar panels don't produce wastewater, exhaust gas, or solid waste during power generation, which is great for the environment. They can effectively reduce pollution in the atmosphere, water, and soil, and improve the ecological environment.
• Solar energy is a decentralized energy source that can be distributed in large quantities around the globe and doesn't require large-capacity transmission facilities. Its development and utilization helps reduce dependence on fossil energy and improve energy independence and security.
• As technology improves, solar panels are becoming more affordable, which is helping them gain ground in the market. The solar energy industry has a lot of potential and could create a lot of jobs, which could become a new economic driver.

On the other hand, coal, as a traditional energy source, has the following drawbacks:

• The coal mining process, from start to finish, produces carbon dioxide and other polluting gases. These gases lead to the formation of acid rain and global warming, which seriously affect the ecological environment.
• As a non-renewable resource, if we use too much coal, we'll run out of it.
• There are safety issues and a lot of accidents during coal mining and transportation. The pollutants produced by burning it also put people’s health at risk.

If you're not sure why you should choose solar panels, check out the following data:

Carbon Emissions

• Coal: According to the International Energy Agency, the average carbon emissions from coal-based electricity generation are 820 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt hour (CO2e/kWh).
• Solar panel: Solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation has a carbon footprint of around 50 grams of CO2e/kWh, which includes emissions throughout the entire lifecycle of manufacturing, installation and operation. This means that solar panels emit only about 1/16th of the carbon emissions of coal.

Energy Return on Energy (EROI)

• Coal: Coal typically has an EROI of between 20 and 40, which means that for every unit of energy invested, 20 to 40 units of energy can be produced.
• Solar panel: Solar photovoltaics typically have an EROI of between 3 and 4, but given their long lifespan of 25 to 30 years, the overall return can be more than 10.

Economic Costs

• Coal: According to Lazard's Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for coal generation in 2020 ranges from approximately $40 to $78/MWh.
• Solar panel: The same report shows that the LCOE for solar photovoltaics ranges from approximately $19 to $27/MWh, indicating that solar power is already less expensive than coal.

Can solar panels completely replace coal?

The big numbers show that the world is emitting about 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. However, some researchers believe that the total budget should be 800 billion tons based on the greenhouse effect. If we assume a linear approach to cuts, it would take 40 years to cut 40 billion tons, which would also consume roughly 1 billion tons per year.

If we want to replace coal in power generation or oil in transportation, we'd need about 1 terawatt of photovoltaic power to reduce CO2 emissions by around 1.05 billion tons per year. So, as long as clean solar replaces these two components, which account for a large percentage of the total CO2 budget, it won't lead to more carbon pollution.

Once we've moved all the coal out of power generation and oil, we'll have to start replacing carbon emissions from industrial processes and so on, which is more challenging. Given current technology, it's pretty much impossible for solar to completely replace conventional coal generation. For one thing, its own characteristics make it limited by weather conditions. While storage technologies and batteries can help, we also need technical breakthroughs in the amount of power that can be generated from solar panels.

What's been the biggest improvement in solar cell efficiency?

The light from outside in a solar cell creates excited electrons within the material, but they usually change back to the ground-emitting state within a few microseconds. This means they can be collected or extracted from the cell very quickly. When the electrons are balanced by the rate of light generation, it gives the cell its maximum voltage. As the cell's voltage increases, the heat begins to diffuse backward in relaxation more quickly.

The most important developments in solar cells are passivated emitter and rear cells, also known as PERC cells. The first PERC cell was created in 1983. Passivation in this context means reducing the number of electrons moving around inside the cell, which stops them from becoming excited. The tunneling structure lets us control what happens at the surface of the cell.

The emitter is the top part of the cell, so we fix the surface on both sides of the cell with a tool that allows us to increase cell efficiency significantly.

How long will it take for new solar cells to become the norm in homes?

The cost of photovoltaics is coming down so fast that many grid utilities are buying solar under power purchase agreements. Some just want to be supplied at a set price for 20 years.

Some of the bids for solar supply starting in 2021 look pretty low, and that's a big deal for the average household. Once you see that solar supply is way cheaper than the normal cost of generating electricity, it's much more competitive compared to traditional suppliers. The cost of traditional methods like generating electricity from coal makes this look very cheap. But because of the push to control CO2 emissions, solar technology has been brought to market by many experts, and it's now reflecting the market's shift in expectations for the two different technologies.

At PowerHome, we've got solar panels made from top-quality crystalline silicon material, with both flexible and rigid options. There's never been a better time to switch to clean energy and go off-grid. Just click on powerhome.com to get started!