Total land area requirements varies depending on the technology the topography of the site and the intensity.
Externalities solar panels.
The manufacturing process is irrelevant without context of the lifetime generated energy as well as how other fuel sources stack up.
Externalities on the roof.
What to do with millions of square feet of worn out solar panels.
Land use depending on their location larger utility scale solar facilities can raise concerns about land degradation and habitat loss.
After solar panels are installed they produce emission free energy for 25 years.
In the uk this has been patchy due to changing government policies and major expenditure is now required to deal with legacy wastes arising from early nuclear power generation effectively an external cost albeit an historical one.
The potential environmental impacts associated with solar power land use and habitat loss water use and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing can vary greatly depending on the technology which includes two broad categories.
Solar pv silicon based panels as electronic waste are an issue at end of life.