Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Power
It seems like everyone from the media to advocacy groups to the Obama administration is talking about solar energy. What causes all of this interest in solar power? There are quite a few advantages that excite so many people, but there are also some disadvantages that you should know about. Most of the disadvantages can be overcome if you have some knowledge and are willing to put in some work yourself.
Advantages
Never-ending energy source
Because solar energy is produced by the sun, there is an infinite supply. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks of the year the sun is producing energy. While solar power 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 go up. The opposite is true of solar energy! Solar power will get more and more affordable as technology continues to improve.
Free energy
As long as you can look out the window and see the sun shining, 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. With enough solar panels, you can stop paying electric bills to the power company forever. This is called living off grid. If you stay connected to the power grid and are able to produce more electricity than you use, the power company will actually pay you for any excess power you produce!
Lower greenhouse gasses
If you are one of the 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 energy produces none at all. If you wish to lower your carbon footprint, solar energy is a great way to do it. Solar energy doesn’t generate any CO2 of emissions of any type.
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 can be reduced by the use of solar power. 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. 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 taking a look at 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, check out Do It Yourself Solar Panel.
Necessary space
Solar panels require sufficient space and also must be oriented so they point south. 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. You will need more solar panels to generate sufficient electricity to power your house if you live in an area with a lower score.
As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to solar power. 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, visit GreenDIYEnergy Review.
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