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? While it is the many advantages that excite so many people, there are also some 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 source of energy
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 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. The price of these limited fossil fuels will continue to rise as more and more are used up. The opposite is true of solar energy! Solar energy will get more and more affordable as technology continues to improve.
Free energy
Assuming the sun will continue to shine, solar energy will continue to be free. There is an initial cost for solar panels and equipment, but there is no ongoing cost for solar energy aside from maintaining of the equipment and battery replacement if batteries are used. You can completely disconnect from the power company if you install enough solar panels. This is called living off grid. If you stay connected to the power grid and are able to produce more energy than you use, the power company will actually pay you for any excess power you generate!
Lower 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 electricity produces none at all. If you wish to reduce your carbon footprint, solar energy is a great way to do it. Solar energy doesn’t generate any CO2 of emissions of any type.
Lower 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. Solar electricity produced in this country would directly replace energy that is now produced using foreign oil.
Disadvantages
Initial cost
Most people consider initial cost to the be the biggest disadvantages to solar electricity. While the ongoing costs of solar power 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.
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. If would like instructions for how to build your own solar panel, check out Do It Yourself Solar Panel.
Necessary space
Solar panels must be oriented so they point to the south and also need enough space for all the panels. Solar panels produce the most electricity in parts of the world that a lot of sun. Areas that get a lot of sun are ideal for solar panels. Solar maps are available that show the average sun in every part of the country. 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 electricity. The advantages of solar power, however, outweigh the disadvantages. If you build your own solar panel, you can avoid many of the disadvantages. For the best guide to building your own solar panel, take a look at Green DIY Energy Review.
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