Are There Really Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy?

Solar energy can be used to create electricity, central heating, heated water, cooking, and even for producing salt desalination. Solar energy comes from the suns rays. Solar energy is known to be very environmentally friendly. However, when the suns rays move into the earths atmosphere it is quite dilute.


Although solar energy is known to be very environmentally favorable it does not only have advantages, but some disadvantages, as well. Lets hash out some of the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy.


Why don't we start with the main advantage of solar energy. Solar energy is clean. To develop electricity or heat with solar energy you need only the sun rays. There is no need for fossil fuel in conjunction with sun rays to produce electricity or heating. You simply need a solar energy collector or solar power panels in order to collect the suns solar energy.


Solar energy is less expensive than traditional electric heating. That's another prime reward of solar energy. Just by utilizing solar energy you can save a lot of money on heating. In return you will realize smaller electric bills and it also means that you dont have to maintain heaters or furnaces.


If you live in a rural area where there are no power-lines solar energy can be your solution. There are rural areas where power companies have no means to access your home. Solar energy is a great alternative because it provides you with everything from heating water, a supply of electricity, and even cooking, and that pretty well covers all of the bases.

Another great use of solar energy is for desalination in regions where fresh, potable water is scarce. Solar energy evaporates brine and leaves the salt crystals in the bottom of the basin. The water in turn condenses into another basin where it is now potable.


While all of the above-mentioned is very useful, solar energy does have some disadvantages. These disadvantages also need to be talked over to paint a complete picture.


The main disadvantage of solar energy is that its dilute. Which means that you need to have a bunch of solar collectors installed around your house. Solar energy may be very cheap but the solar collectors are relatively expensive and require regular upkeep in order to work properly and efficiently. If you decide to go with solar energy you will need to calculat your return on invested capital in order to know if the investment makes sense.


One big disadvantage is that you need the suns rays to make use of solar energy. If you are situated in a part of the world where there is not much sun light then you could have a bit of a problem. In other parts of the world, the suns rays are almost always covered in clouds making solar energy collectors less efficient. You should first know if the sunshine in your area is abundant for the most part of the year. Of course if you live in desert areas like in Arizona or New Mexico the sun produces a lot of sunshine for the majority of the year and is ideal for solar energy collecting.

Finally the sun only shines during the day. Therefore if you need electricity or hot water during the nighttime, like many of us do, it can be a problem. You will need a backup system like the local electric company or you will need to store the electric for later use. There are battery systems available, that can store electric for later use.

Solar energy is very clean and an substitute to conventional heating and electrical systems. this is true it is also good to mention the disadvantages of solar energy. If you are thinking about applying solar energy you should read this first to make a informed decision.

The advantages of renewable energy definitely outweigh any disadvantages. If you’re like me, and sick and tired of paying electric bills, that just keep doing through the roof, visit us at www.energymoneysavings.com