Actually, I have to correct myself - it looks like most estimates give PV panels EROEI somewhere above 6, which would mean about 15% of produced energy is needed for the production and maintenance of the panel itself. But even then it would probably be net gain.

Subsidies etc. are a different matter, because then you're talking about competing with other sources and the strawman argument "it costs more energy to produce than it saves" doesn't work.