Solar energy offers many advantages over conventional energy systems.
Raw materials are renewable and unlimited. The amount of solar energy available is roughly 10,000 times that currently required by humans, and it’s constantly replaced. A mere 0.02% of incoming sunlight, if captured correctly, would be sufficient to replace every other fuel source currently used.
Solar power is low-emission. Solar panels produce no pollution, although they impose some environmental costs through manufacture and construction. These environmental tolls are slim when compared with the damage inflicted by conventional energy sources: the burning of fossil fuels releases roughly 21.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually.
Solar power is suitable for remote areas that are not connected to energy grids. 180,000 houses in the United States are off-grid. California, Colorado, Maine, Oregon, Vermont and Washington have long been refuges for such energy rebels, though people live off the grid in every state. While many of these people shun the grid on principle due to politics and environmental concerns, few of the world’s 1.8 billion off-the-gridders have any choice in the matter. Solar energy can drastically improve the quality of life for millions of people who live in the dark, especially in places such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where as many as 90% of the rural population lacks access to electricity. People in these areas must rely on fuel-based lighting.
Solar power provides green jobs. Production of solar panels for domestic use is becoming a growing source of employment in research, manufacture, sales and installation.
Solar panels contain no moving parts and thus produce no noise.
In the long run, solar power is economical. Solar panels and installation involve high initial expenses, but this cost is soon offset by savings on energy bills. Eventually, they may even produce a profit on their use. Solar power takes advantage of net metering, which is the practice of crediting homeowners for electricity they produce and return to the power grid. As part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, public electric utilities are required to make available, upon request, net metering. This practice offers an advantage for homeowners who use solar panels that may, at times, produce more energy than their homes require.
Solar power is reliable.
In summary, solar energy offers significant advantages to conventional fossil fuels and other renewable energy systems. For more information please contact Peter Young.
