If you are interested in purchasing solar panels and go green, you should first know about its major advantages and disadvantages. Although it’s a reliable and non-polluting power source, there are many people who prefer using other methods to stay green, due to various results, as you will notice in this next article. Here are some of the main advantages and disadvantages of solar energy.
Disadvantages
- High costs
One of the major drawback of installing a solar panel is represented by the initial cost which can be very high in most cases. By using electricity generated by the sun, you will manage to lower your monthly energy bills, so we could say that it’s a good investment after all. However, not many people have to means to invest a large amount of money in solar panels.
- Lack of efficiency
Solar panels are designed to absorb light from the sun, but you should know not all light is entirely absorbed. Generally speaking solar panels can absorb only 40% of the sunlight, but the good news is new technologies allow solar panels to have a 80% rate of efficiency. However, these newer types of solar panels are more expensive than regular ones. Solar panels are inefficient during the night time, so you need to buy solar batteries or draw power from the local utility grid. Other than that, solar panels are useless during cloudy days or during storms.
- Location of solar panels
If you are living in a big house, you should consider yourself lucky. Solar panels can produce a great amount of energy on a regular basis if installed on rooftops. If you don’t have enough space to install solar panels or your house is covered by trees or surrounded by tall buildings, then you should try using other methods of generating electricity.
Advantages
- It doesn’t cause pollution
If your main interest is to reduce air pollution and lead a green lifestyle, then you should definitely consider installing solar panels in your home. Other than being non-polluting, solar power is a reliable and renewable source of energy that doesn’t require fuel in order to produce electricity.
- Constant power source
As long as the sun exists, you can use solar power to produce electricity, regardless in which country you’re living. Nowadays, there are many kitchen appliances and all sorts of gadgets that run on solar energy, so if you want to ensure that you’re never running out of batteries or you’re trying to find ways to make some money savings by cutting down on energy costs, solar energy is the way to go.
- It’s easy to maintain and install
Another main advantage of opting for solar panels is the fact that they are very easy to install, because you don’t have to struggle with cords and wires. Generally speaking, solar panels don’t require a lot of maintenance and they are highly durable, so you won’t have to change them in the near future.