Solar water heaters harness the energy from sunlight to heat water, providing a clean and eco-friendly alternative to traditional fossil fuel-based systems. However, the fabrication and installation of these systems can also have distinct ecologically-harmful consequences, such as chemical pollution, soil contamination, and air pollution.
The first issue that arises concerns the mass production of solar water heaters. Most solar water heater water heaters made are constructed using substances in high volume, such as silicon and other heavy metals, in the very process of creating the photovoltaic solar panels. Unfortunately, when extracted, processed, and transported, these substances can have disastrous effects on various ecosystems throughout the environment. Air pollution spewing from factories can release industrial byproducts, ammonia and other hazardous compounds when smelting these metals for their production.