Solar Power-Advantages and Disadvantages
November 13, 2012 by admin
Filed under Home Improvements, Retirement
There are many advantages worth considering when it comes to solar energy and everything that it offers. There are many advantages that solar energy has over oil energy. Not only does solar energy benefit your pocketbook, but it also benefits the environment as well. However, there are two sides to everything, and there is a list of solar power disadvantages to accompany the list of advantages.
Advantage: Solar technology is currently improving in leaps and bounds. Across the world, and particularly in Europe, savvy clean technology researchers are making enormous developments in solar technology.
What was expensive, bulky, and inefficient yesterday, is becoming cheaper, more accessible, and vastly more efficient each week.
Disadvantage: Very diffuse source means low energy production–large numbers of solar panels (and thus large land areas) are required to produce useful amounts of heat or electricity
Advantage: Solar energy systems are now designed for particular needs. For instance, you can convert your outdoor lighting to solar. The solar cells are directly on the lights and can’t be seen by anyone. At the same time, you eliminate all costs associated with running your outdoor lighting.
Disadvantage: Solar electricity storage technology has not reached its potential yet.
While there are many solar drip feed batteries available, these are currently costly and bulky, and more appropriate to small scale home solar panels than large solar farms.
Advantage: Desalination – it can be used in locations where there is a lack of drinkable water. Solar energy evaporates brine and leaves the salt crystals in the bottom of the basin. The water in turn condenses back in another basin, from which you can drink now.
The solar energy as heat can be used for heating solar cookers to cook, solar water panels to heat water, solar panels for charging batteries and store electricity, the differential heating of the sea can generate electricity. The disadvantage is that the technology available is not suitable for high generation of energy. During cloudy day it cannot be used.