Solar & battery
Solar Carbon Savings Calculator
Carbon dioxide a solar system avoids, against the grid it displaces.
Result
Grid carbon intensity varies enormously by region and by hour, and displacing a coal-heavy grid avoids roughly nine times more carbon than displacing a hydro-heavy one. Embodied carbon estimates differ substantially between studies depending on where the panels were made and on what energy. Treat the figures as an order of magnitude rather than an audited number.
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About this calculator
Do solar panels pay back their own carbon?
Yes, and in most locations within one to three years. Estimates vary with manufacturing location and grid mix, but the payback is well inside the panel's working life on any credible accounting.
Why does location matter so much?
Because you are displacing your own grid, not a global average. The same array avoids several times more carbon in a coal region than in one running mostly on hydro.
The formula
avoided CO2 = kWh x grid carbon intensity; carbon payback = embodied carbon / annual avoided
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