Solar energy technologies and power plants do not produce air pollution or greenhouse gases when operating. Using solar energy can have a positive, indirect effect on the environment when solar energy replaces or reduces the use of other energy sources that have larger effects on the environment. However, there are environmental issues related to the production and use of solar energy technologies.

Solar energy tecnologies require use of materials, such as metals and glass, that are energy intensive to make. The environmental issues related to the production of these materials could be associated with solar energy systems when conducting life-cycle or so-called cradle-to-grave environmental analysis. Studies have concluded that PV systems can produce the equivalent amount of energy that was used to manufacture the systems within 1 to 4 years.