For what it's worth, many estimates are that it takes more energy to fuse silica to make solar panels than will be output by those panels as electricity over their expected service lifetimes, at sea level in most temperate climes.
However, what that analysis does ignore is that you cannot get more local -- that is, less transmission loss -- than the energy generation and consumption from the panels in the typical intertie solar setup.
So, if the energy to make the panels is generated in, at least, a not terribly dirty way, and the panels aren't made far from where that power is generated, due to transmission losses solar panels in many locations are a serious net win.
Thor Lancelot Simon snipped-for-privacy@rek.tjls.com
"The inconsistency is startling, though admittedly, if consistency is to be abandoned or transcended, there is no problem." - Noam Chomsky