A report today from EIKE calculates the actual energy payback time for large solar cell installations in Germany to be 8.7 years. The energy payback time of a power generating system is the time required to generate as much energy as was consumed during production of the system. The report thus concludes, "The outlined analysis shows solar power systems are not an energy source, but facilities for energy dissipation."
The report also finds actual energy payback time for large wind energy installations to be 3.5 to 5.5 years.
The actual payback time for much less efficient home-grown solar and wind power was not determined. The analysis suggests that much more CO2 will be produced in the mining of materials and manufacturing of solar and possibly wind systems than one could ever hope to achieve from their use. Also note, the energy payback time of power installations is typically much less than the economic payback time.
Also today: Lawrence Soloman shows why "no company can make a profit supplying wind power to the electricity system without government subsidies, and why no society can count on wind power when the power is most needed."