Examining The Pros And Cons Of Solar Energy

Examining The Pros And Cons Of Solar Energy

There are many sources of power that we can use to run our society, and each of those sources has things that are good and things that are bad about them.  Fossil fuels, for example, are easy to obtain and can generate a lot of power, but can pollute and we have a finite amount.  Because of the drawbacks of fossil fuels, some people have been debating the pros and cons of solar energy as a power source.  And although solar energy is an attractive source of energy for many reasons, in the debate about the pros and cons of solar energy, the cons have outweighed the pros for a long time, though this is slowly changing.  Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of solar energy to see why.

Large Power Source, Low Efficiency

To kick off our examination of the pros and cons of solar energy, let’s discuss how much solar energy we have to use and how much we’re actually capable of using.  Currently, the amount of energy that hits the Earth from the sun is many thousands times more than the amount of power that we use every year, which is a big plus when you consider using solar energy. 

However, the drawback is that solar cells for turning this energy into usable electricity aren’t terribly efficient, so it’s hard to take advantage of all that energy yet.  Adding to this problem, we must convert solar power from direct current to alternating current to use it, which results in additional losses in efficiency.  As time goes on and as our solar power technology has improved, though, solar energy has become cheaper and more viable.

The Cost Of Solar Energy

Next, we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of solar energy with respect to the cost of solar power.  As you might imagine, solar power itself is inherently inexpensive, since there’s no mining to be done, no transport of fuels to take place, and so on.  Solar power facilities are relatively low maintenance facilities, so the cost of maintaining a facility is relatively low. 

However, the initial cost of setting up a solar facility is high, which requires a large startup cost, since solar panels aren’t cheap.  As a result, solar energy ends up being more expensive than electricity from the grid.  However, remote areas such as island communities can still benefit from it, and the price of solar power goes down every year.  As you can see, it’s only as our technology improves that this plentiful natural resource will come into its own as a truly viable power source.

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