The sun is a resource that will heat our planet for at least another million years. That’s a lot of time, and that’s a lot of heat. The good thing about temperature is that it can be turned into electricity. Many people have wondered just how much of the sun’s power we can use, and the answer is that we can use just a little bit.
But when you take into consideration just how big this star is, then even that little bit is enough to give the entire world free energy. Solar panels are the way to go when it comes to collecting electricity from sunlight, and that can make a massive difference when it comes to the health of our planet. Click on this link to read more.
Many people who are into fossil fuels still dispute the idea saying that it’s too expensive and it isn’t efficient enough. Well, just like anything in the world, it has room to improve, and steady improvement over the last few years made it quite desirable to many households.
A lot of families have installed solar panels on the roofs of their homes, and there are even battery systems that store the power from hot days. Here are some of the pros and cons that come when you think about switching to solar electricity.
What are some of the advantages?
First of all, solar electricity is a renewable source of energy. Unlike coal or oil, we have an unlimited amount of sunlight. Every day the sun rises up again, and if there aren’t any clouds, we get all the energy we need. You can place panels anywhere in the world, and it can never run out.
If you put a few thousand panels in the desert, the entire world can be powered for free. Until then, all of our electricity costs can be cut in half. Depending on the size of a system you get, that big of a percent will get deducted from your utility bills.
Many countries have introduced a system where you actually get money by producing your own energy. That’s thanks to the Smart Export Guarantee, which states that you can get a monetary reward if you generate more power than you use in your household. Visit this link for more info.
That’s something that every single one of us would want. Also, when you put the solar panels up, there’s no need for maintenance for the next 20 years. If you need to clean them, a professional cleaning service costs anywhere from 20 to 30 dollars, which is next to nothing. Plus, the technology will only keep getting better, which means you might get even more benefits in the near future.
What are some of the disadvantages?
When it comes to the disadvantages, the first thing on the list is the cost. The initial payment for this kind of energy system can be quite high. However, long-term, this pays off. It might not pay off in the first year, but over the course of a two-year period, you can expect to pay off the entire system in savings from your bills.
The more people buy these kinds of systems, the more their prices will fall. This means that all future solar panels will be cheaper and better than the ones we have now. Next comes the weather dependency. If it’s cloudy, there’s no way to create solar energy.
If you live in a cloudy place, it doesn’t make sense to take into account such an expensive system. It also doesn’t work during the night. This means that if you live somewhere where the nights are long and the days are rainy and cloudy, this isn’t going to be a worthwhile investment.
They take up a lot of space. If you live in an apartment complex, it can be tough to find the place to fit these panels. Also, some roofs are too small for such a big system. In this case, you can opt to put a few smaller panels instead of one big one. That way, you might satisfy a little bit of your energy needs, like heating up your water.
Bottom Line
Everything in life has pros and cons. In this case, the benefits of solar electricity outweigh the downsides and depending on where you live. You might be surprised at how much money you save up.
Salman is a prolific environmental writer, and has authored more than 500 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management, sustainability and conservation all over the world.
Salman can be reached on salman@cleantechloops.com
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