Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Power

It seems like people everywhere are talking about solar energy, from advocacy groups to the media to the Obama administration. Why all this interest in solar energy? There are a number of advantages that excite so many people, but there are also a number of disadvantages that you should know about. Overcoming the disadvantages can be accomplished if you have some knowledge and are willing to put in a little work yourself.

Advantages

Never-ending source of energy

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. 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! It will never run out and the cost will continue to go down as technology gets better and better.

Free energy

As long as you can look out the window and see the sun shining, solar energy 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 electricity. 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!

Lower greenhouse gasses

For those people worried about global warming, solar energy is the solution! While fossil fuels produce greenhouse gasses, solar electricity produces none whatsoever. If you wish to reduce your carbon footprint, solar electricity is a great way to do it. Solar energy produces no 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. Using solar electricity 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

One of the biggest disadvantages to solar electricity is initial cost. While the ongoing costs of solar power are almost zero, the initial cost of buying and installing solar panels can be somewhat high. 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 Cost of Solar Panels.

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, take a look at DIY Solar Panel.

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. 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 electricity. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, I think you’d agree. Builiding your own solar panel is one way to avoid many of the disadvantages. For the best guide to building a diy solar panel, check out Review of GreenDIYEnergy.