Advantages of Solar Energy
There are a
number of advantages of solar
energy. Probably the biggest advantage is the fact that solar energy
is limitless. Unlike every other commodity, it doesn’t matter how much
we use, there will always be more. That’s at least the case for the next
several thousand lifetimes.
Another
advantage of solar energy is the fact that it is clean energy. Many
forms of energy that we use today cause pollution and damage our
environment in one way or another. When heating or lighting our homes
that is especially true. That’s particularly true when it comes to the
use of modern day vehicles. Pollution is released as a byproduct of many
commercial businesses using conventional power sources. When solar
energy is used, there is no harmful exhaust involved.
A huge
advantage to solar energy is it provides cost effective solutions in
places where there is no power grid. There are some areas in the world
that it would be cost prohibitive to put in power lines from the main
grid.
Solar cells
don’t put any pollutants into the air and create no noise pollution.
They are totally, 100% free of pollution and cause no environmental
challenges. This is not even true of wind power, which can kill birds as
they fly into the turbines.
Solar panels
have no moving parts and therefore require very little maintenance. They
also have a long lifetime. They are much more reliable than other
renewable sources such as wind and water, which require turbines, which
are noisy, expensive, and often break down.
For rooftop
systems, as demand increases, more cells can easily be added to homes or
businesses.
Photovoltaic
panels offer another benefit or advantage. What I like is to go outside
on a hot day and see my power meter running backwards. That means money
saved, which equates to money made. If your power bill normally runs
$300 per month, and you don’t have a power bill, that means you not only
didn’t pay the $300 on utilities. It means you didn’t have to earn $400
before taxes to pay that bill. So in reality, you saved $400 of your
hard earned income. Another advantage of solar energy is that when you
go to sell your home or business, your solar system adds to the worth of
your property. A few years ago we had our home appraised, wanting to
draw some equity out for some projects. The house appraised for an
additional $30,000. What a selling point when you want to sell and move
into another home. Not only is there no electric bill, but you have an
income source without having to pay Uncle Sam. Now that’s a double mint
moment.
For a
business, this is an appealing approach to not only cutting down on
overhead, but in generating additional cash flow. After your investment
is paid off, the electricity equates to pure cash.
One last
advantage when it comes to owning your own residential solar system or
system for your business. At an average, power bills go up at least 6%
per year. That means that your profit increases by 6% each year after
paying for home solar power systems. One great advantage solar energy has over
wind energy is that the average business owner has a place to put solar
but not too many can locate a convenient or legal place to put a
windmill. Plus, the solar panels blend into the roof and aren’t an ugly
eyesore.
Say that you
want to generate even more solar electricity than you use. What happens
then? It used to be that you just lost the extra power. Now, the utility
company has to pay you back for the extra energy you feed back into the
grid. Yes, any production you have over what you use is automatically
fed into the grid.
One of the
greatest advantages of solar energy is that the panels
are extremely reliable. As a result, you won’t have to replace any
moving parts, since they don’t have any. Most systems come with a twenty
year warranty, meaning if there are any problems, they will be taken
care of.