They always have been. I saw a life cycle analysis of PV panels back in 1977 done by a UT Austin Electrical Engineering Professor that flatly stated PV panels had the largest environmental impact of ANY power system. Wind power was not included because no one was building them on any scale back then. The worst factor was the fact that PV panels degrade at the rate of 0.5% efficiency loss per year. THis means that after 15-20 years, you have to replace the panels, which are not easily recycled.
Degrade is just one concern.
Getting pelted by hail can simply destroy them.
And their disposal is a nightmare.
Solar is the ultimate feel-good exercise in which there is a virtually non-existent cost/benefit.
The best solar energy scheme was created by God when he made photosynthesis work so men could eat plants or eat animals that eat plants, giving men energy and clothing for their bodies and fuel to cook and warm themselves, all the while taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
And it is continuous cycle, for all purposes self-perpetuating, unlike what men have tried to create.