Advantages and Disadvantages To Solar Energy

In recent years, the energy crisis has become a heated topic. As the costs of energy continues to increase, people around the world are looking for low cost alternatives. Some people even argue that the concept of an "energy crisis" is inaccurate. They point to the Sun as an abundant source of energy, and feel that the production of fossil fuels are not only harming the environment, but they are also limiting the ability for civilizations to advance. While solar energy is promising, there are both advantages and disadvantages which must be considered. Overcoming many of these disadvantages will allow solar energy to replace fossil fuels as the dominant energy source on the planet.

One of the best advantages of solar energy is that it doesn't cause much pollution. However, the manufacture of solar energy devices must be taken into consideration. Solar energy can also be viewed as a resource for specific regions due to their climates. Another advantage to solar energy is cost. While the cost for things such as natural gas and petroleum continue to rise, solar energy technology continues to fall in price. Because of this, it will be in high demand for people who are looking for low cost alternative energy sources. Solar energy is also becoming very popular with island nations. Perhaps the biggest advantage of solar energy is that it allows people to be independent of power companies, because it allows them to be self sufficient.

However, there are some disadvantages to solar energy which must be overcome if it is to replace fossil fuels and expensive nuclear fusion reactors. One of the primary problems is that solar energy is not efficient at night or in rainy environments. One solution to this problem is the creation of storage devices which can store energy during sunny days to be reserved for cloudy or rainy days. Even then, certain parts of the world have weather which is consistently cloudy or rainy. Solar cells generate direct current which has to be transformed into alternating current before it can be used within grids.

Another problem with solar energy is that despite the low cost it has in comparison to other energy sources, it is still outside the price range of most people. Solar energy devices sold by large companies can sell for well over $20,000. While this is cheap when compared to the amount of money a person will save on power bill payments over their lifetime, it is an out of pocket expense which only the very wealthy can obtain. The good news about many of these problems is that they are technical in nature. Advances in solar energy technology are likely to solve many if not all the problems which it currently has.

Solar energy has powerful advantages over things such as nuclear fusion reactors. While nuclear fusion reactor research is very costly, solar energy is not. Once a fusion reactor is created, it will still have to be controlled and maintained by groups of scientists and engineers who will be employed by a large corporations or governments. In contrast, solar energy allows people to be completely independent once it has been installed. Advanced forms of solar energy do not have to be restricted to a grid.