The Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Power
Thursday, April 1st, 2010It seems like people everywhere are talking about solar energy, from advocacy groups to the media to the Obama administration. What causes all of this interest in solar power ? There are a number of advantages that excite so many people, but there are also some disadvantages that you should know about. Overcoming the disadvantages can be accomplished if you have some know-how and are willing to put in a little work yourself.
Advantages
Never-ending energy source
Because solar energy is produced by the sun, there is an infinite supply. The sun produces energy all day, every day of the year. While fossil fuels like natural gas and oil will eventually run out, solar energy will continue to be available until the sun disappears and at that point we’ll have a lot bigger problems to be worried about than how to power our air conditioners. As more and more of these limited fossil fuels are used up, the price will continue to rise The opposite is true of solar power ! Solar electricity will get more and more affordable as technology continues to improve.
Free energy
Assuming the sun will continue to shine, solar electricity will continue to be free. There is an initial cost for solar panels and equipment, but there is no ongoing cost for solar power aside from maintaining of the equipment and battery replacement if batteries are used. If you install enough solar panels, you can disconnect from the power company and never pay an electric bill again. This is called living off grid. Some people intentionally stay connected to the power grid, are able to generate more power than they use and actually get paid for the extra electricity by the power company!
No greenhouse gasses
For those people worried about global warming, solar energy is the solution! Fossil fuels like oil and natural gas produce a lot of greenhouse gasses, but solar power produces none at all. If you wish to lower your carbon footprint, solar electricity is a great way to do it. There are no emissions of any kind produced by solar electricity .
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. Our dependence on foreign oil could be reduced or eliminated completely by the use of solar power . Solar electricity produced in this country would directly replace energy that is now produced using foreign oil.
Disadvantages
Initial cost
The biggest disadvantage to solar electricity is generally considered to be initial cost. The initial cost of solar panels can be quite high, while the ongoing costs of solar power are very small. You can figure out how much it would cost to install enough solar panels to power your home and download a spreadsheet to do the calculations by visiting Solar Panel Cost Solar Panels Cost.
With a good set of plans, a few common tools and enough time, the initial cost can be reduced significantly by building your own solar panels. For instructions on how to build your own solar panel, check out DIY Solar Panel.
Necessary space
Solar panels must have a clear view of the southern sky and need sufficient space. Solar panels work best in areas that get a great deal of sun. There are solar maps available that show the average sun in different areas. A larger score means that a solar panel of the same size will produce more electricity than a solar panel in an area with a smaller score. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t use solar power if you live in an area with a low score, but you will need more solar panels to generate enough electricity to power your house.
As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to solar energy. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, I think you’d agree. If you build your own solar panel, you can avoid many of the disadvantages. For the best guide to building your own solar panel, check out Green DIY Energy .
