How many barrels of oil (eq.) are required to manufacture and transport the PV panel?
The oil payback (in terms of the panel and associated gear) is about 1.5 years, with a 25-30 year lifetime operating window.
This is with today's efficiencies. They are of course improving.
Less than it takes to manufacture and transports the barrels of oils it replaces.
About 1/10 or so of the output of the panel, e.g. 1 barrel of input energy making and transporting panels saves 10 barrels in fossil fuel energy. That's a rough number assuming a particular mix of oil based energy and no energy cost to procuring the fossil fuels used in the comparison.
If you are curious about it, why don’t you go and find the answer and then let us know too, no?
Fewer and fewer, as the whole world electrifies.
The usual carbon payback period for solar panels is 1-4 years.
I think (obviously) the OP is implying a net save here.
That's 3rd world country problem, British people (with salary in top places of Europe) must save money!
Its estimated that a PV panel is co2 neutral aver 2 years.
And the great thing is: this is only if the panel was produced with fossil fuels. So due to increase in green energy everywere, this number goes down too and a PV can easily be used for 15 years and after. After that it might just be more economicly to reinvest in a new set of PV panels while the old ones can be sold and used somewere else.