Solar Power: Making a Comeback

Solar energy has seen a resurgence of sorts lately. As our dependence on non-renewable fuel grows and the supply of said fuel diminishes we must make a decision on possible avenues to satisfy our energy hunger. With history as a guide we can see that as our needs grow, humans, as a race, will utilize new technologies in pursuit of a better more efficient life. For example, as we grew out of the stone age and into the bronze so shall we grow out of the oil age and into a new technological era of energy consumption. What energy production path we may take remains to be seen, but it’s obvious one major choice is solar power. And others agree.

The United States government currently offers a 30% tax credit of up to $2,000 for residential homes that install approved solar electric devices. And there is no limit for commercial businesses that take this route. And most state governments attempt to match tax credits allowing a sizable return when put together. These credits alleviate a lot of the construction costs that go into the installation of panels, battery storage systems and inverter technologies. On top of that, declining manufacturing prices makes solar energy an increasingly attractive avenue for homes and businesses alike. With that said I’d like to go into some of the advantages and disadvantages of solar electric use.

Advantages:

• Solar energy provides the highest density of power among renewable energies.
• Solar power is completely pollution free during use, and the emissions from it are manageable with our pollution-control technologies.
• After the initial setup, there is minimal maintenance on solar power facilities.
• Connecting a solar power unit to a power grid can reduce grid loading during peak power consumption times, and alleviate the need for battery storage during times of darkness.
• After the initial start up costs of a solar power plant, costs to operate the plant are low compared to other energy options.
• The amount of solar energy the earth intercepts every minute is higher than what we currently consume in fossil fuels every year.

Disadvantages:

• On average, solar energy is more expensive than our current energy producing methods.
• At night and during adverse weather conditions, solar energy is not available making storage or an alternate back up power system a necessity.
• Producing DC, solar cells must have an inverter to change it’s output to AC. Doing this usually incurs some energy loss.
• Depending on were you live there is limited power density. For example, most of the U.S. only produce 4-7 Kilowatts per hour.

With all of this being said, my personal opinion is that this energy option is viable for widespread use if not a guarantee. With power cell and battery storage technologies growing exponentially every year it’s not a matter of if we will use solar power but when. And to me that is a step in the right direction.