Wherever you are located, you’ve probably heard of solar energy or you maybe use it for your daily needs. However, it is, solar energy is here to bring us many benefits from using it, and the most important of all-it’s reliable, unlike electrical energy which can sometimes be unreliable, depending on the location. To use solar energy, which is the energy of the sun’s radiation, you must plant solar panels. How much will you plant, again, depends on your needs and possibilities. Also, solar energy is very beneficial; it’s completely harmless to the environment but will also save you a LOT of money. This all sounds great, but does using solar energy have its disadvantages? Well, certainly. So, let’s see which are the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy.
Advantages of Solar Energy
- Reduced electricity bills
You’ve probably heard that solar energy can be very cheap and economical and you are right if you think so. That is because you already generate the energy from the sun thus removing the need to use so much electricity, and if you use more of the solar energy and have a bigger set of solar panels, you can completely remove the need for electricity. Of course, the savings won’t be the same for everyone, but it’s guaranteed that you will save a lot of money. So don’t worry, if you have a solar panel or panels for your home.
- Renewable source of energy
This is probably the best feature of solar energy. As the energy is taken from the sun’s radiation, it’s logical that this kind of energy is renewable. Solar energy can be harnessed from all around the world and it’s available every day. We simply can’t run out of solar energy, unlike other types of energy like electricity, fuel, etc. So don’t worry, if you have a solar panel or panels, know that the sun will live approximately 5 billion years from now, according to scientists.
- Low or no cost of maintenance
The great thing about solar panels is that they don’t require any special maintenance. You need to keep them clean, so you can clean them a few times a year and you’re good. As for the solar panel manufacturers, the most reliable manufacturers will provide you with a 25-year warranty, which is a lot of time. Also, the solar panels are fixed so there are no moving parts thus being completely safe, without wear and tear. That being said, the maintenance can cost you very little or not cost you at all!
- Technical improvement
The scientists and manufacturers of solar panels aim to replace electric energy with solar energy thus working hard to improve this kind of energy. This is great because, in the future, there will be more solar panels, with lots of improvements, which means that they will probably be more economical and friendly to your wallet. Time will be the only factor when it comes to further development.
- Versatility
Solar energy is very versatile and can be used for many purposes. With your solar panels, you can generate electricity and heat or produce electricity in areas that don’t have access to the energy grid. Recently, the manufacturers began to introduce solar energy into materials used for buildings.
Advantages of Solar Energy
- The initial price
This factor is probably the only factor that keeps some people away from installing solar panels. To be honest, the price, in the beginning, is really high. You need to pay for various components such as solar panels themselves, but also an inverter, wiring, batteries, and the installation. But as we mentioned, this technology is constantly improving which will probably lead to the price being dropped at some time.
- Using a lot of space
I don’t know if you’ve seen the solar panels, but that stuff takes a lot of space, depending on the quantity. If you want to be more efficient in collecting the sun’s energy, you’ll surely need more solar panels installed, which will lead to more space being taken. For example, your roof might not be big enough for installing those solar panels, so you can put them in your yard, but also make sure that they have access to the sun 24/7, which can be a little tricky. So, this type of energy can also be space-dependent.
- It’s weather dependent
You’ve probably guessed this one, but we will mention it because it’s the important disadvantage of this kind of energy. Although the energy can be collected during rainy and cloudy days, the efficiency of the solar panels will significantly drop, depending on the intensity of rain or clouds. Solar panels are highly dependable on the sun, so it can really make things worse if the weather is rainy or with clouds. Also, take into account that solar energy can’ be collected during the night, which is… a pity!
- Expensive solar energy storage
You can store the solar energy in large batteries or use it right away. If you decide on batteries, you need to know that they can be charged during the day and used during the night for example. All of this is great, but unfortunately, it’s very expensive, thus not recommended. In my opinion, it’s better to efficiently use solar energy during the day and when the night comes, to switch to the energy from the grid. This way you can always have the energy for your needs.
Now that you know all of the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy, what do you think about it? We think that it’s still a great source of energy and the fact that it’s still under development and will improve, is great. We are sure that solar energy will be used a lot more in the future and that these disadvantages will be lowered or removed. But as we said, this is an innovative way of using the sun’s energy and will probably be useful for someone, but currently, not as a substitute for the grid’s energy.