[maxerickson]

It's not that similar an argument, it suggests a carbon payback time of 3-10 years, not 30 or never (10 years is unfortunate but workable (especially if you expect it to improve, which is basically guaranteed), 3 years is fine, never would be unacceptable).

[subtenante]

True, that depends on the country where the PV panel is installed. The original argument was probably made for France where electricity is very low on carbon.