If you’re thinking of making the switch to solar energy, it’s good to know both the solar energy advantages and disadvantages first. Because although there are many advantages of solar energy, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
The amount of energy produced by the sun is astonishing. And although we are getting better at harnessing its power every day, there are still many ways in which we can improve how we collect and use solar energy.
Right now, some of the most significant disadvantages of solar power include its inefficiency and its price tag. But solar technologies are upgraded every day, and new innovations are making solar energy more advantageous by the minute.
Below, you’ll learn more about the most important solar energy advantages and disadvantages that dominate the industry right now. Before you buy yourself some solar lights for your outdoor areas, you may want to read this short overview first.
5 Advantages of Solar Energy
Let’s start with the advantages of solar energy that make this type of energy such a great alternative to fossil fuels.
1. Clean, Renewable Energy Source
By far the most important benefit of solar energy is that it is a clean, renewable energy source that won’t run out. The sun will always keep shining which means we will always have the option to use its energy to power our society.
This is unlike fossil fuels (like coal or oil), which are finite and will run out at some point. Since it’s a naturally generated energy source it’s clean and better for the environment. Therefore reducing your carbon footprint and helping reduce greenhouse gases.
2. Having Solar Panels Reduces Electricity Bills
Since solar energy is a renewable energy source that’s free to collect it will help you save money on your energy bills. The more sun-generated energy you use, the less you need to tap into the mains energy supply.
This benefit can be as small as using solar garden lights instead of electrical garden lights to save a few dollars on your monthly bills. Or powering your entire home through solar panels and saving potentially thousands of dollars every year.
There are even special schemes that allow you to export any surplus energy you’ve generated back to the grid to receive bonus payments. So instead of costing money, solar energy could even earn you a bit of money!
3. Solar Panels are Low in Maintenance
Granted, the installation of solar panels isn’t as easy as just connecting everything to the mains power supply. But once the installation is done, you have barely any maintenance to worry about.
The only real maintenance that’s needed is keeping the solar panels clean by cleaning them a few times per year. You can do this yourself, or get a specialized company to do it for you.
Aside from that, your solar panels will last for years without any problems.
4. Many Possible Applications of Solar Energy
Another great advantage of solar energy is that it has many possible applications. Although many people only think of electricity, you can also use solar energy to generate heat, for example.
Or how about using solar energy to distill water in places where there is limited clean water? Or how about areas that do not have access to the main energy grid? Solar energy can solve these problems.
And then there are some of the more revolutionary applications of solar energy, like solar energy windows. They are completely transparent like normal windows but capture solar energy at the same time!
5. Constant innovation
Solar energy is often seen as the energy of the future, and one of the main drivers for humanity to reduce its carbon footprint. With global warming and environmental issues being at the top of the global agenda, the solar energy industry is booming.
This means scientists are working around the clock to try and find new and smarter ways to use solar power to meet our climate goals.
This constant innovation means that the advantages of solar energy are growing every day. Making it more efficient and affordable for more and more people.
5 Disadvantages of Solar Power
Sadly, when looking at solar energy advantages and disadvantages, we do have to note that there are still some disadvantages of solar power that can do with improvement.
1. High Initial Costs to set up for Solar Energy
Buying a solar system for your home or business is not cheap. Not only are the solar panels, batteries, and other needed materials relatively expensive, but so is the actual installation.
Unless it’s one or two small solar panels, you will need a team of professionals to come and install the solar panels for you.
Put together, this accounts for quite high initial costs for a solar system, and the return of investment on your solar system may take several years.
That said, you will eventually see a return of investment. And with solar technologies advancing every day, so do the prices of solar systems and their installation go down.
2. Battery Storage for Solar Energy is Expensive
During the day, your solar panels will generate a lot of energy, while at night you won’t receive any energy. This means you will have to store some of the excess energy from during the day into large batteries that you can use to power your house at night.
Unfortunately, these batteries can be quite expensive.
3. Space Limitations to Install Solar Panels
If you have a large house, you will need a large array of solar panels as well. Depending on your house it can be difficult to place enough solar panels on your roof to generate all the solar energy you need to power your house.
Some homeowners decide to place solar panels in their garden or on their garage, but this means you need to have a large garden and/or garage in the first place.
4. Solar Energy is Dependent on Weather Conditions
If you live in a hot climate, you probably won’t struggle with this, but one of the main disadvantages of solar power is its dependency on weather conditions.
Not only does this mean you might struggle to generate enough energy to power your home during winter, but it also means you need to carefully plan where to place your solar panels so they receive maximum sun exposure throughout the day.
5. Some people don’t like the appearance of the Panels
Lastly, solar panels aren’t always considered aesthetically pleasing. If you need to cover your entire roof in solar panels to generate enough energy for your home, you might end up with a completely different looking house than when you first fell in love with it.
Solar Energy Advantages and Disadvantages Compared: Is it worth it?
This remains an ongoing debate, and as we’ve seen there are both pros and cons to solar power.
That said, with the constant innovation in the solar power industry and the global drive to make the systems more efficient and economical, it does seem clear that solar energy is the future. And since it’s a clean, renewable energy source you’re helping our planet when choosing solar instead of fossil fuels.
So, after comparing the solar energy advantages and disadvantages, we can only conclude that solar power is the way forward.