The Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy
It seems like people everywhere are talking about solar energy, from advocacy groups to the media to the Obama administration. Why is everyone so interested in solar electricity? While it is the many advantages that excite so many people, there are also a few disadvantages. If you have some knowledge and are willing to put in some work yourself, most of the disadvantages can be overcome.
Advantages
Never-ending energy source
There is a never-ending supply of solar energy because it is produced by the sun all the time. Every day, all year the sun is producing energy. While solar energy will continue to be available as long as the sun keeps shining, there is a limited supply of fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. As fossil fuels become more and more scarce, the cost will continue to increase. The opposite is true of solar electricity! It will never run out and the cost will continue to go down as technology gets better and better.
Free energy
Assuming the sun will continue to shine, solar power will continue to be free. Aside from battery replacement, if batteries are used in the solar power system, there is virtually no ongoing cost for solar energy. If you install enough solar panels, you can disconnect from the power company and never pay an electric bill again. This is called off grid living. If you can generate more electricity than you need, you can stay connected to the grid and actually sell the extra energy to the power company!
No greenhouse gasses
If you are one of the people worried about global warming, solar energy is the solution! Solar electricity produces absolutely no greenhouse gasses, unlike fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. If you wish to reduce your carbon footprint, solar electricity is a great way to do it. There are no emissions of any kind produced by solar power.
Reduce dependence on foreign oil
One of the biggest threats to national security is widely considered to be dependence on foreign oil. Dependence on foreign oil is considered by many people to be one of the biggest threats to national security today. Using solar power will reduce dependence on foreign oil. Any domestically produced solar electricity would directly replace energy that is produced with foreign oil.
Disadvantages
Initial cost
The biggest disadvantage to solar power is generally considered to be initial cost. While the ongoing costs of solar energy are almost zero, the initial cost of buying and installing solar panels can be somewhat high. If you want to see how much it would cost to install enough solar panels to power your home and get a spreadsheet to do the calculations, please check out How Much Do Solar Panels Cost.
If you have a good set of plans, a few common tools and enough time, you can build your own solar panels and reduce the initial cost significantly. If would like instructions for how to build your own solar panel, visit DIY Solar Panel.
Required space
Solar panels must be oriented so they point to the south and also need enough space for all the panels. Solar panels work best in areas that get a lot of sun. The average sun in all parts of the country are shown on solar maps. A solar panel of the same size in an area with a larger score will produce more electricity. If you live in an area with a lower score, it doesn’t necessarily indicate that you can’t use solar electricity, however you will need more solar panels to generate enough electricity for your house.
As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to solar electricity. The advantages of solar power, though, outweigh the disadvantages. If you build your own solar panel, you can avoid many of the disadvantages. For the best guide to building a diy solar panel, check out Review of GreenDIYEnergy.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!