- When proton particles strike in the layers of solar panels, the atoms’ bonds break down, generating energy that is transferred through the inverters and converted into usable electricity.
- Solar panels are low-maintenance clean, renewable energy designs that can help reduce the dependency on fossil fuels, ultimately minimizing emissions on low utility bills.
- Solar energy panels require much more space with a high initial setup and storage cost to generate weather-dependent electricity.
Among the various renewable energies, solar energy is the fastest-growing energy source. With the world facing critical environmental issues like climate change, sustainable development and an eco-friendly approach are at the forefront of social agendas in the modern world.
Today, the world is highly dependent on fossil fuels like natural gas, petroleum, coal, and oil shale. These fuels are either non-renewable or take millions of years to be consumable. Solar power alone may not be enough to end the dependency on these non-renewable energies. But, it can certainly be an important initiative toward an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Solar energy is easily accessible, so it has taken the lead over other green energy sources. But is it a miracle we should be proud of? Or is it something that’s invisibly harming the earth?
Table of Contents
How Do Solar Panels Work?
Solar power is merely converting sunlight into electricity. In recent years, solar panels have been used in most places worldwide. Surprisingly, many people are not yet aware of how these panels work.
Solar power panels are a combination of several modules of crystalline silicon cells. This natural semiconductor cell has two different layers — the positively charged layer and the negatively charged layer.
When proton particles strike in these layers, the atoms’ bonds break down, generating energy. This raw energy is transferred through the inverters and converted into usable electricity. So, you can also store the energy in a solar battery for future usage.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy
It may seem like solar energy, as a renewable energy source, can only benefit the environment and social lifestyle of the people. However, there are a few shocking disadvantages of using solar energy, believe it or not!
As a part of the modern world, it is essential to compare both the pros and cons of solar energy before settling for the change and deciding to go solar.
So, without further ado, here are a few benefits and drawbacks of solar energy for a more precise understanding:
Advantages of Solar Energy
1. Renewable Energy Source
Solar energy has several significant benefits. However, the most crucial one is that solar energy is an inexhaustible source. Since the energy stored in solar panels comes from sunlight, it is practical for daily usage anywhere in the world.
Unlike other energy sources, we can never run out of solar energy. According to scientists, sunlight will continue to supply solar power for at least another 5 billion years, making it usable for an extended period.
2. Reduces Dependency on Fossil Fuels
Solar energy is the world’s most accessible alternative energy source. With the progressing technological advancement, a wide variety of solar-powered products are readily available to adapt to households and commercial applications. Today, more people are becoming eco-conscious, and the use of solar energy is increasing all over the world.
Alternative energy consumption eventually minimizes the dependency on fossil fuels, including petroleum, coal, and oil shale. This practice will help preserve non-renewable resources and build a sustainable world for future generations.
3. Reduces Energy Bills
When installing solar panels at your home or your business, you use minimal energy from the local utility. If the solar panels are large enough, homeowners no longer need to use commercially sold electricity for daily usage. So, it helps reduce electricity bills and save a lot of money.
Additionally, if homeowners manage to generate more energy from their solar panels, apart from reducing energy usage, they can even earn extra income by selling the energy.
4. Minimizes Carbon Emissions
Billions of people still use coal, wood, natural gas, and oil as a source of energy. The high consumption of these energy sources has overloaded the atmosphere by outpouring harmful gases. In the long term, these gases affect the earth’s temperature and result in critical global issues like climate change.
However, if we invest in solar-powered products, we can steadily reduce our carbon footprints on the planet. Solar energy is almost free of global warming emissions and causes significantly fewer environmental effects and hazards. Additionally, if we replace carbon-intensive sources with solar energy, we will also reduce fuel costs.
5. Low Maintenance Cost
Well, people might look at the glass panels on the roofs and think of shattered glass and huge maintenance bills. However, it is not quite the case with solar panels.
Although solar cells are fragile, these cells have a protective layer called ‘shatter-proof’ tempered glass. Therefore, the maintenance requirements of solar panels are less frequent.
Additionally, solar panel distributors often provide a brand warranty that can last for decades. So, the cost is relatively minimal, even if the panels require maintenance.
Disadvantages of Solar Energy
1. High Up-Front Cost
There is indeed a high start-up cost while investing in solar-based products. Homeowners who want to purchase solar panels also need to pay an additional amount for installation, wiring, batteries, and inverter. The total cost of switching to solar after adding these expenses is relatively high.
Solar-powered products are not affordable to everyone with such a high initial cost. However, the cost of these panels is declining drastically every year. Many assume that the prices may decrease even more soon.
2. Weather-Dependent
Solar energy may not be a potential solution to every power problem worldwide. While it promises infinite energy consumption, many critics argue that solar energy is unreliable. As solar panels generate electricity by absorbing the sunlight, their efficiency and effectiveness tend to drop remarkably.
They are based on adverse weather conditions like storms, rains, or even cloudy weather. Additionally, solar panels can not store energy at night. So, relying on solar energy to solve power issues is pointless.
3. It Might Result in Potential Pollution
Although much associate solar energy with an eco-friendly lifestyle, critics argue that the environmental aspect of this energy is slightly exaggerated. The production of solar cells uses several toxic metals, including gallium arsenide, lead, and cadmium which are considered harmful to the environment.
Additionally, the transportation and installation of solar panels also contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases on a small scale. So, going solar might also, more or less, impact the environment.
4. Space Requirement
If a building or property requires extensive electricity, you’ll have to install tons of solar panels, which can take up a lot of space. It might cause a massive problem if the roof is not spacious enough to accommodate the required panels.
In such cases, the only alternative may be to install them in a yard or open space accessible by sunlight. You might even have to rent extra space to install the panels if you do not have much space. One question might arise can you install solar panels yourself? Find your answer in the article here.
5. Expensive Storage Cost
Apart from the hefty investment to purchase and install solar panels, you may even have to break the bank to store the energy for future purposes. You must use the collected energy immediately or store it in solar batteries.
These batteries use off-the-grid solar systems, which means they must be charged during the day to be usable at night. If you’re curious about how solar batteries work, dig into the article here.
Although this is a great way to use electricity for a long time, the entire process costs a lot of money since you need to invest in large batteries.
Pros and Cons of Solar Energy
| Pros | Cons |
| Renewable energy source | Expensive Upfront cost |
| Reduce fossil fuel dependency | Might cause pollution |
| Lowers utility bills | Weather dependent |
| Minimize carbon footprint | Large space |
| Low maintenance cost | High storage cost |
While the use of solar energy is on the rise worldwide, this ever-growing industry still has a lot of potential for growth in the future. For it to grow further, the efficiency and effectiveness of solar cells will have to increase substantially.
While people are starting to feel responsible for ending the earth’s carbon footprint, solar energy is not affordable to everyone. To encourage more people to use solar energy, the price of solar-powered products must be cheaper.
However, solar energy is here to stay. The solar industry is investing millions in cost-cutting and excellence to remain relevant with the increasing competition in the energy market.
With dynamics in technology and research focusing on improving solar cell designs and materials to build these cells, solar energy is expected to be cheaper and more efficient in the next few years. New marketing mechanisms encourage more people to go solar and adapt to the green lifestyle.
(Last Updated on November 4, 2022 by Sadrish Dabadi)
