Solar panels will pay Matthew Laverack (Letters, November 22) criticised plans for solar panels at York Minster and claimed they would never pay back the energy used to create them. This is factually incorrect.

Research by the Centre for Alternative Technology shows that it will take an average of 2.5 years to ‘pay back’ the energy used to create a panel, while panels have a life expectancy of ‘at least 25 to 30 years’ meaning a single panel will generate many times more energy than was needed to manufacture it.

This study was taken over 12 years ago. Since then, processes and outputs have increased considerably. Although it is not ideal to need so much energy to produce these panels, they are still an ‘investment’ in terms of energy.

I agree that solar will not save the world on its own. It will need to be part of a multi-faceted approach which will reduce and, hopefully, one day altogether remove the need for fossil fuels.

Every single approach to new energy technologies is criticised by someone at some point. If the world listened to all of these, we would be at a standstill.

The Minster may or may not be the right place for panels - though it has a perfectly south-facing portion ideal for solar. I understand it will be visible from the ground; however, it is my opinion that, if we look at the benefits, they will eventually overshadow the costs.

Alastair James Sarson, Market Weston, Suffolk