The availability of energy sources is a huge issue for us humans who inhabit the Earth. If we continue at the rate we are going, soon our non-renewable energy supply, which currently supplies the world with 87.04% of its total energy, will run out (World Energy Use). While this is may seem like a scary thought, the goal is that soon we will not be as reliant upon non-renewable energy sources as we are today. To do that, we must fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of the major renewable energy sources that our Earth offers us. This blog will focus on solar energy.
“Solar power is energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy” and has many advantages and disadvantages (Solar Energy). While solar energy currently makes up less than 1% of the world’s energy input, it still has a huge future for our world (World Energy Use).. The first and one of the most important advantages about solar energy is its consistency. While many other the other energy sources are unreliable, solar energy is incredibly reliable, because its source is the sun (Advantages). Everyday since the beginning of time, the sun has risen and it has set. This means that, as far as we know, the sun will continue to rise and continue to set. Even on slightly cloudy days, some solar energy can be gained. This consistency makes it very appealing, because regardless of the weather, some amount of solar energy can be gained.
Another huge advantage of solar energy is the amount of money that it saves, both for the individual and for the larger entities (Advantages). Of course there is a rather large installation fee for solar panels, and there may be the odd fee to fix a broken panel, but besides that there are not many costs associated with solar energy. This means once they are installed, they immediately start to repay the owner for their costs. In fact, if a user decided to start using solar energy in 2011, by 2031 they are projected to have saved around $20,000 if they live in New York, and much more if they live in sunnier locations (Advantages). To make a long story short, solar energy will actually save you money given the right amount of time.
The main disadvantage with solar energy is the nature of the sun (Advantages). While the sun does consistently rise, it also consistently sets. When this happens, solar panels become pretty useless. During the night, with no sun to provide them with any energy, the panels cannot generate electricity. This means that unless energy is somehow stored in a battery, solar energy would not be able to provide electricity at night. Similar to this, if a day is extremely cloudy, or solar panels are extremely shaded, their ability to generate electricity is significantly diminished. While this could be remedied by proper placement of the panels, it still provides an issues for locations where there is a large amount of foliage or very cloudy days are common.
Solar energy is a very interesting renewable energy source, and has potential to become a leading source of energy for our planet. If we can get over the hurdle of the first expense, solar energy could become a very profitable source of energy. I believe that solar energy should become a main source of interest for nations and power companies alike, as it is an extremely reliable source of energy that could help end the reliance upon oil and natural gases.
Links to sources:
https://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/08/advantages-disadvantages-solar-power/
mkm5860 says
On the point of solar energy’s lack of reliability, I have heard that it would only take a small part of the rays present in the Saharan desert to power most of Europe. The chief downside, of course, is as you mentioned: the initial investment, and how to implement a system where the energy can be appropriately harvested and used. Hopefully we can find some sort of solution for this in the future, or be an influential part in some way or another. Props to you for tackling such a big issue so soon.
Andrew Warner says
Its important to blend the environment into political discourse. How can solar energy help Hill Republicans to get what they want? Solar energy will get us out of the Middle East and may propel America into the future of industry, much farther past other countries. How can we capitalize on this opportunity and monetize it in the private sector? What are the capital gains and how will deniers start to not deny. Solar energy might be the best way to engage the discourse on the environment further!
Person says
Maybe next time talk about other renewable sources of energy.
Person says
good
prashant says
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Andrew Thors says
Solar energy is reliable as long as the sun is up even on the most cloudy day it still works just less efficient. So as long as you take that into consideration I still feel it is very reliable. I wrote more about this here https://junglesentry.com/the-current-state-of-solar-chargers-on-the-market
Robot says
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