Solar panels produce far less emissions than coal or natural gas.

“Lifecycle emissions” counts all aspects of raw materials, manufacturing, transport, installation, operation, and disposal. A major National Renewable Energy Laboratory review of thousands of studies found that while some emissions are generated when solar panels are manufactured and shipped, their lifetime emissions are much lower than fossil fuels. Coal’s lifecycle climate pollution is about 23 times higher than solar power, and natural gas about 11 times higher.

Solar panels also “pay back” their upfront emissions within a few years of operation, offsetting emissions from their manufacture. Since modern panels often last 30 years or more, they will continue to provide decades of low-emissions electricity after their payback.

See a full discussion of this at Gigafact.org

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Electricity Generation: Update
• IPCC Technology-specific Cost and Performance Parameters
• US Department of Energy End-of-Life Management for Solar Photovoltaics
• International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology Solar Panel Heat Emission and its Environmental Impact
• Columbia Law School Sabin Center for Climate Change Law Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles

This fact brief was originally published by Skeptical Science on January 17, 2026, and was authored by Sue Bin Park. Skeptical Science is a member of the Gigafact network.

Toxic heavy metals in solar panels are locked in stable compounds and sealed behind tough glass, preventing escape into air, water, or soil at harmful levels.

Most concern focuses on cadmium and lead. 40% of new U.S. panels use cadmium telluride, which does not dissolve in water, easily turn to gas, or approach the toxicity of pure cadmium.

Like many electronics, panels contain small amounts of lead. These parts are locked behind tempered glass that resists hail, heat, and breakage. Even in high-temperature fires, the glass melts and binds to the metals, trapping 99.9% of them.

During manufacturing and disposal, heavy metals are handled under safety and waste rules. Per unit of electricity, solar releases far less heavy metals than fossil fuels.

Studies and safety reviews find that heavy metals pose no qualifiable danger to health during the regular manufacture, use, or regulated disposal of solar panels.

See a full discussion of this at Gigafact.org

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• NREL Polycrystalline Thin-Film Research: Cadmium Telluride
• NC Clean Energy Technology Center Health and Safety Impacts of Solar Photovoltaics
• American Chemical Society Emissions from Photovoltaic Life Cycles
• EPA Solar Panel Frequent Questions
• Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Questions & Answers: Ground-Mounted Solar Photovoltaic Systems
• EPA Ecological Soil Screening Level
• Columbia Law School Sabin Center for Climate Change Law Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles

This fact brief was originally published by Skeptical Science on December 14, 2025, and was authored by Sue Bin Park. Skeptical Science is a member of the Gigafact network.