Everywhere you turn, from TV or advocacy groups to the Obama administration, people are talking about solar power.Why is everyone so interested in solar power? While it is the many advantages that excite so many people, there are also a number of disadvantages.Overcoming the disadvantages can be accomplished if you have some knowledge and are willing to put in a little work yourself.

Advantages

Never-ending source of energy

The sun produces solar energy so there is an infinite supply. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks of the year the sun is producing energy. Solar energy will continue to be available long after fossil fuels like oil and natural gas run out. As more and more of these limited fossil fuels are used up, the price will continue to increase The opposite is true of solar energy! It will never run out and the cost will continue to go down as technology gets better and better.

Free energy

As long as you can look out the window and see the sun shining, solar power will continue to be free. There is an initial cost for solar panels and equipment, but there is no ongoing cost for solar electricity aside from maintaining of the equipment and battery replacement if batteries are used. With enough solar panels, you can stop paying electric bills to the power company forever. This is called living off grid.  If you can generate more electricity than you need, you can stay connected to the grid and actually sell the extra electricity to the power company!

Reduce greenhouse gasses

If you are one of the people worried about global warming, solar energy is the solution!Fossil fuels like oil and natural gas produce a lot of greenhouse gasses, but solar electricity produces none at all. If you wish to lower your carbon footprint, solar electricity is a great way to do it. There are no emissions of any kind produced by solar energy.

Reduce dependence on foreign oil

Dependence on foreign oil is widely considered one of the biggest security threats today. Our dependence on foreign oil could be reduced or eliminated completely by the use of solar energy. Any power that is currently generated with foreign oil can be directly replaced by domestically produced solar electricity.

Disadvantages

Initial cost

Most people consider initial cost to the be the biggest disadvantages to solar power. The ongoing cost of solar energy is very small, but the cost of buying and installing solar panels can be quite high. If you want to see how much it would cost to install enough solar panels to power your home and get a spreadsheet to do the calculations, please check out Solar Panel CostSolar Panels Cost.

With the required know-how, the initial cost can be reduced a great deal by building solar panels yourself. For instructions on how to build your own solar panel, take a look at DIY Solar Panel.

Necessary space

Solar panels must be oriented so they point to the south and also need enough space for all the panels. Solar panels produce the most electricity in parts of the world that a great deal of sun. Areas that get a lot of sun are ideal for solar panels. There are solar maps available that show the average sun in different areas. Solar panels located in areas with larger scores will produce more electricity with a solar panel of the same size. You will need more solar panels to generate sufficient electricity to power your house if you live in an area with a lower score.

As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to solar electricity. The advantages of solar power, however, outweigh the disadvantages. Builiding your own solar panel is one way to avoid many of the disadvantages. For the best guide to building your own solar panel, check out Green DIY Energy.

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