This is another frequently promoted, but inherently flawed, Straw Man argument.
Don’t be fooled, examine the facts.
Yes, it takes many tonnes of silicon, aluminum (and/or cadmium, copper, indium gallium, selenium) and structural galvanized steel to deploy a multi-MW array of solar panels.
The mining, transporting, manufacturing and assembling of these materials takes energy and often harms our fragile ecosystems. Building the facility also produces pollution and consumes a lot of energy.
However, it is important to note: it takes just as much natural raw material and energy to build and deploy a coal, natural gas fired, or nuclear power plant.
The difference of course is: with clean, sustainable, renewable energy technologies, once you have built the plant you STOP producing hazardous air & water pollution, and CO2 .
By contrast, with fossil fuels, you have to KEEP burning and polluting every minute of every day, for the rest of the life of the power plant.
