Semiconductors take a huge amount of natural resources and energy to create. For a rundown on some of the related issues, see Significant Cost Savings in Energy Reduction. For details of the energy and resource usage of a 32-megabyte DRAM chip, see The three-and-a-half pound microchip: Environmental implications of the IT revolution. Since photovoltaic (PV) panels use similar technology, it is a concern that PV panels require more energy to produce than they yield in their lifetime. According to the U.S. Department of Energy this is simply not true:

Learning About PV: The Myths of Solar Electricity

Here are some other articles with more specific information:

What Is the Energy Payback for PV?

Will we have enough materials for energy-significant PV production?

PV ENERGY PAYBACK VS PV INPUT ENERGY DUE TO MARKET GROWTH

This is heartening; however, we will still be keeping a watchful eye on this as more data comes out.