Why Use Solar Power
Using renewable energy resources is making sense to many people as they become more aware of the environmental consequences of fossil fuels and the rising inflation of fuels like coal and oil due to scarcity or political problems. One form of renewable energy is solar power. This article will touch on the advantages and disadvantages of using solar power.
Solar power can be used in many ways. It can provide heat and electricity in the home. It can also be used to recharge many of the personal devices that many people carry without a thought. The main advantage of solar power in providing this resource is that it is a clean system.
Using such systems also cuts down on pollution. It does not contribute to the greenhouse gas emissions. It does not pollute the water supply.
Solar power systems are built to last. This is more important for home solar power systems where there is quite a large initial investment. However, even on portable devices like watches or calculators, the solar recharging will last the lifetime of the device.
Maintenance of solar recharging units on portable devices is not needed and will last the lifetime of the device. For home solar systems the maintenance costs are low. In general it is only the moving parts of the system that are likely to wear out. However, most of the solar powered systems in the homes have few moving parts. a good solar panel is thought to retain up to 80% of it's efficiency for around 25 years.
Home solar power systems are not complicated or dangerous to run for the average person. In fact, if they are part of a net metering scheme with a utility company, most of the complexity is worn by the utility company.
There are certainly a few negative aspects of using solar power. Before consumers can have any solar power, they have to make a large investment on the equipment and installation. They will make up this investment over the life of the solar power system but this large up front sum can deter many people. There are more grants and incentives being introduced to minimize this deterrent to getting solar energy.
Not withstanding the costs of setting up a solar system, the biggest problem is reliability. Solar power is not suitable in certain locations where there is not much sunlight year round or the weather conditions block out the Sun. And a solar system will only be operational during the day when the Sun is out so this means it can only generate power for 12-14 hours a day depending on the time of year.
The reliability issue is partly why many governments have been more inclined to lean towards using nuclear power for large scale production of energy.
Given that efficiency of solar cells should increase and the costs will come down, it makes a lot of sense to get a solar panel for your home. There should be a fall back system because of the reliability issue. Most people go for a grid tie system whereby they keep grid power and sell their solar power to the utility company, thus getting a discount or cheaper utility bills. This is a stress free way of using solar power.
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
About the Author
Find out how a solar power water boiler works and how passive solar energy can power your home at http://www.solarpowerappliances.com
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