Solar Energy Advantages And Disadvantages
Lets take a look at solar energy advantages and disadvantages.
Every second of the day business´s and homes around the globe use the planet’s energy resources. The most widely used energy sources like oil,gas and coal are depleting at a rapid rate and unless more renewable sources are utilized pessimistically scientists say these sources could run out within 30-40 years,an optimistic guess is around 100 years .
One of the main source of clean and renewable energy that can be used now is solar power,so lets have a look at the advantages and disadvantages of Solar Power.
There are plenty advantages worth considering when it comes to solar energy,one of the main advantage is the money solar power can save on your utility bills as the energy solar uses comes from the sun which is basically free. Here is the first disadvantage,the cost of the equipment used to harness the energy from the sun can be expensive,this is mainly to do with the silicon used for semi conducters used in building solar panels, although scientists are working on using organic and polymer solar cells to help lower manufacturing costs.
So first advantage and disadvantages of solar power, the cost, ok the argument here is once you have got your initial investment back,you will then be getting energy from the sun which is in all intense and purposes free.
The payback period for your initial investment can be very short dependent on size,usage and also any goverment incenitives taken, State governments promote solar by providing tax credits and rebates.
For more info on goverment incenitives go here.
The other thing to take into consideration is, if it´s possible to connect your system into the local electrical grid also called net metering, apart from providing solar power to you along with the power coming from the grid,which can help you if more power is needed at any time, the utility company will provide it,but if you create more power, your solar energy that you produce will go back out onto the grid, and you will be selling your solar power back to the utility company.
Back to disadvantages Solar panels require quite a large area for installation to achieve a good level of efficiency.
The efficiency of the system also relies on the location of the sun,cloudy days,pollution and of course night times when there is no sun, although this problem can be overcome with the installation of a battery backup system or net metering.
More advantages with Solar energy systems are that they virtually maintenance free and will last for years to come also once the system is installed, there are no on going costs involved.
Another advantage is the systems need no fuel apart from the sun, operate silently with no moving parts and release no smells or gas´s into the atmosphere.If a bigger system is needed as your needs grow you do not need to renew the system just add more solar panels.
Another great advantage is,solar power technology is improving at a rapid pace which is certainly beginning to reduce the initial price and people are beginning to understand the benefits offered by this alternative energy source. As our oil and gas reserves decline, it is of upmost importance for us to turn to alternative sources like solar for energy.
While there are probably many more solar energy advantages and disadvantages this page has highlighted the main points to help people make up their own minds on solar energy.
