Pros and Cons of Solar Energy

What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages?

Did
you know that the energy sun provides to the earth for one hour could meet the
global energy needs for one year? Undoubtedly, the sun is a powerful energy source,
and even though we are not able but to collect a fraction of this energy, yet
harnessing this power by installing solar panels can make a significant difference
to the planet.

While
it has been widely criticised for being expensive or inefficient, solar energy has
now proved to be extremely beneficial – not only for the environment but also
for the private economy.

Thanks
to available solar panel grants, as well as, the increasingly
competitive prices in the market, solar energy has
become the main source of energy for
more and more families. The technology has been drastically improved the last
years and has been complemented by solar battery storage systems,
turning solar into a significantly more efficient source of clean energy.

However,
there are always downsides no matter the energy source you choose to analyse. GreenMatch has
outlined the key advantages and disadvantages of solar power in the following
points:

Advantages of Solar Energy

1. Renewable Energy Source

Among
all the benefits of solar panels, the most important thing is that solar energy is a truly
renewable energy source. It can be
harnessed in all areas of the world and is available every day. We cannot run out of solar energy,
unlike some of the other sources of energy.

Solar
energy will be accessible as long as we have the sun, therefore sunlight will
be available to us for at least 5 billion years when according to scientists
the sun is going to die.

2. Reduces Electricity Bills

Since
you will be meeting some of your energy needs with the electricity your solar
system has generated, your energy bills will drop.
How much you save on your bill will be dependent on the size of the solar
system and your electricity or heat usage.

For
example, if you are a business using commercial solar panels this switch can have
huge benefits because the large system size can cover large chunks of your
energy bills.

Moreover,
not only will you be saving on the electricity bill, but there is also a
possibility to receive payments for the
surplus energy that you export back to the grid through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). If you generate
more electricity than you use (considering that your solar panel system is
connected to the grid). 

3. Diverse Applications

Solar
energy can be used for diverse purposes. You can generate electricity (photovoltaics) or heat (solar thermal). Solar energy can be used to produce
electricity in areas without access to the energy grid, to distil water in
regions with limited clean water supplies and to power satellites in space.

Solar
energy can also be integrated into the materials
used for buildings. Not long ago Sharp introduced
transparent solar energy windows.