Solar Energy: How to Use Its Advantages and to Overcome the Disadvantages

The Beatles rejoiced at the sight of the sun and sang, ‘Here comes the sun”. Indeed, the sun has been spreading joy and warmth all over the world since time immemorial. The best thing about the sun is that it is free to enjoy. Irrespective of religion and nationality, the sun shines upon all of us in all its glory. And now, man has the knowledge and know-how of harnessing a part of the tremendous energy contained in the sun and putting it to various uses.

Think about solar energy and the first image that springs to the mind is that of those arrays of shiny photovoltaic panels adorning the rooftops and the countryside. Indeed, photovoltaic cells still remain the most popular way of generating solar power. Solar power, for one thing, is not cheap. However, even though the initial set up costs can be quite high, the long-term financial benefits of using solar power are too strong to deny.

Solar power gives you a unique double-edged advantage. First, you can generate all the power that you need with help pf a setup. Secondly, if you happen to generate power in excess of your actual requirement, you can choose to sell it off to the local utility company or the grid at a profit through what is known as the “Net-metering Scheme”. It is really a very simple process that needs no raw materials and has practically no running cost. Selling off surplus power seems like the only sensible and smart choice because you cannot store this power for use on rainy days. If left unused, it will usually go to waste. Therefore, the smart decision is to sell it back and get rewarded. All one needs to do is connect the system to the local power grid and send back the excess power generated by him to the local company. An example will make things clearer. Say, your monthly electricity consumption is X number of units or A amount of dollars. Now, if you install a solar panel at your home that can produce 6X number of units per month that is equivalent to $5A and you draw 2X number of units from the utility for night time consumption, you are still left with 6X minus 3X or 3X number of units equivalent to $5A minus $A or $4A in your hand.

Before making the switch to solar power, there is one very important consideration to make viz. the return on investment. Don’t forget that solar systems rarely come cheap. In fact, the initial investment and setup costs can be daunting by most standards, even though most states have provisions for financial assistance for the cause because solar energy is widely regarded as an eco-friendly, clean and renewable form of energy that does not pollute the environment and can actually save the government substantial costs in pollution-control. However, you can always find out the break-even point by subtracting the value of the annual sale of electricity from the initial investment made by you. Take a look below for a typical example.

Initial investment$30,000
Annual sale value of solar electricity $ 5,000
Time to reach break-even point6years
From the 7th year onwardNo cost!

The ecological benefits of using solar energy are just too many to enumerate. First and foremost, there is the tremendous environmental edge that comes from its clean, renewable, non-fossil fuel oriented and sustainable nature. Unlike other conventional modes of energy production solar energy production does not cause air pollution simply because there is no discharge of sulfur dioxide (SO²), carbon dioxide (CO²), nitrogen oxide (NO) or mercury. And for the same reason, solar energy does not contribute to the contemporary problem of global warming or greenhouse effect. What’s more, with solar energy you never need to worry about smog or acid rain in the area where it is utilized. Indeed, it’s easy to see why the entire world is raving about alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind power.

One more advantage of using solar energy is due to the fact that it is virtually free and requires very little maintenance. Once set up, there are practically no recurring costs.

What makes solar power so convenient to use is the fact they are completely self-sustained and are an independent means of energy production. This distinctiveness of operation helps installation of units anywhere under the sun, irrespective of whether other facilities are available or not. Nowadays, owing to the latest developments, it doesn’t take much to set up a fully functional solar power unit near your own house and start generating your own electricity. It is a great feeling to have your very own power plant in the backyard, supplying power to your entire household. Moreover, when it comes to portability, few things come as close as solar power. Powerful Solar energy units mounted on trailers, complete with control panel, converters, battery banks and switches are now in use in such remote areas like the South African Game Reserves where scientists are busy checking the genes of large animals like the rhinoceros or the giraffe. Independent solar energy operated units help light up their camp sites while powering their laptops for research work and other equipment and tools.

There is a general concern all around the globe over our dwindling natural reserves of fossil fuels. Solar power has effectively reduced the dependence on Middle Eastern countries whose oil supplies had so far been responsible for fossil fuel generated electric power. In fact, considering the pace at which mankind is adopting solar power in homes and workplaces, the day is not too far away when diesel and petrol powered generators would become extinct.

Let’s wrap up by looking at the darker side of using solar energy. A disturbing factor is the present high cost of installation of solar panels. Though efforts are underway to improve their affordability (there are many government schemes that extend financial help to those willing to install a solar power unit), the picture is still far from encouraging. We can only hope that these issues will be resolved quickly and solar power technology will become more affordable.

You must be all set to switch to solar power by now. But don’t get started all alone. What you need is a training guide – a manual, that will let you learn how to install a system. You will also need to know a few other things such as what is the best place to set up the system, where to buy the parts, how to get free batteries, safety precautions and also wiring the system. Get informed and you are ready to install solar system in your home. This is easily the best way to ensure a quick, successful installation, without hurdles or unpleasant surprises.