Pros and Cons of Solar Energy

Solar energy is energy that comes from the sun. Since the natural world operates based on energy from the sun, why can’t homeowners? The primary source of energy for most homeowners in the United States is electrical energy and natural gas.

Switching to solar energy, an ever-abundant alternative energy source for the home has both pros and cons. The majority of the sources on this subject, however, stress that the pros outweigh the cons.

So what are the positive aspects of utilizing solar energy in the home? First, by incorporating solar panels and solar heating methods, homeowners use less electricity produced by fossil fuels, which cuts down on pollution. In addition, the production of solar panels is more environmentally clean and they do not give off any pollution as a byproduct when producing energy.

Moreover, if the electric company has the plan in place, a homeowner with solar panels that generate electricity can feed any unused electricity back into the company grid for a credit on their electric bill.

Third, solar energy equipment requires little to no maintenance. The uncomplicated design and simple engineering require much less maintenance than most home energy systems.

Fourth, homes with high efficiency solar systems are often worth more than homes without these modifications. Appraisal values vary based on the area, but appraisers are taking note of the cost put into high efficiency homes.

Finally, since a portion of the electricity in the United States comes from natural gas, switching to solar energy as an alternative energy source will significantly reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

With all of these pros, what about the downside of using solar energy in the home? The primary disadvantage of incorporating solar energy into the home is the initial cost. It takes thousands of dollars to not only purchase solar energy equipment, but also make modifications to the home in order to incorporate the alternative energy system.

The tax incentives mentioned above do help, but the time it takes to recover the initial cost of modifying the home and purchasing equipment is anywhere from four to ten years. Next, the dependence on the sun in some areas makes it hard to depend on solar power.

Getting the most out of solar energy requires using energy from the sun during the daytime. Electricity from the power plant is available all the time; so many people find it hard to change their routines. In addition to day and night, constant storms and cloudy days also influence electrical generation from solar cells.

Technology is getting better allowing electrical generation from solar cells in a cloudy area, but it still is not perfected. To get around this issue, homeowners need to purchase batteries in order to store the power, but that too can be expensive.

Finally, many people find the look of solar panels very unpleasing to the eye. While the panels may raise the value of the property, the aesthetics can be a drawback to solar energy collection devices. To address this con, many companies are making solar energy cells more pleasing to the eye by incorporating them into the design of homes, but this too is expensive and only makes sense during the building process.

As seen, there are many pros and cons to incorporating solar energy into the home. While this list is not definitive by any means, it should give an idea about whether switching to this alternative energy source is right for your home or not. There are a few facts strewn throughout this discussion, which makes switching to solar energy a good choice.

The first fact is that solar energy can and will pay for itself eventually. The equipment does not break easily, so maintenance costs are minimal at best and after a few years, homeowners could even make money on their investment.

Next, solar energy is abundant and can be used anywhere. An interested party needs to check out their local area to determine the level of average sunlight before buying panels. In a low sunlit area, it would take much longer for the solar equipment to pay for itself.

Finally, it is a fact that solar energy is a pollution free energy source, so it is much better than depending on the electric company for power.