With the current electricity status being vulnerable, load shedding remains imminent and other alternatives should be considered.
Solar Energy is by far the cleanest, most reliable form of renewable energy available, which can be used in several forms to help power your home.
Solar power works by capturing the energy from the sun and then turning it into electricity for your home or business. All you need is a cord (aka, solar panels) that’ll transform the energy from point A (the sun) to point B (electricity that can be used by your home) to supply power your home energy requirements.
Like all things there will be some Advantages as well as Disadvantages which are listed below.
Advantages of Solar Energy:
- Reduces Electricity Bills
Investing in solar energy can pay for itself. After you’ve installed your solar panels, your bill will decrease significantly. The amount you save on the electricity bill will vary per household annually.
- Diverse applications
Solar energy can be used for many different electrical applications in your home. Solar energy goes beyond simply using solar power for home electricity purposes. It can also be utilised in vehicles. From cars to trains, and now even in air planes, more and more people are travelling using solely solar energy. This application of solar power outside homes and office buildings is just a start to the unlimited potential solar technology has in changing our everyday lives for the better.
- Low maintenance costs
Solar panels are easy to maintain and usually come with a lengthy warranty. The typical warranty for solar panels will vary per manufacturer. During this period, manufactures guarantee that panels will operate at or near peak efficiency. Most solar panels are covered to produce at least 80% of their rated output over the life of the warranty.
Interesting fact: One hour of sunlight equals one year’s worth of energy for the entire earth. The energy from the sun is the most abundant energy source available on Earth. With just one hour of direct sunlight, you could collect enough energy to generate a year’s worth of power for the entire Earth. There’s a lot of electrical juice from the sun!
Disadvantages of Solar Energy:
- The initial Start Up Cost
Installing solar energy in a household can have a high purchasing cost initially. This is due to the purchasing of solar panels, inverters, batteries, wiring and installation that has to take place.
- Weather Dependent
Solar energy is dependent on daylight to effectively gather energy. The amount of energy gathered on especially cloudy/overcast days will definitely decrease when compared to the amount of energy gathered on clear sunny days. Solar panels use the energy from daylight, as opposed to sunlight, to produce electricity so panels do not need direct sunlight to work. It is photons in natural daylight which is converted by solar panels cells to produce electricity. Heat has no effect on the production of electricity.
- Takes up a lot of Space
The more electricity you want to produce, the more solar panels you will require because you want to absorb as much sunlight as possible. Solar panels are fairly large and require to be set up in a certain direction depending on where you are located. This is to ensure your panels get the most daylight possible. As technology keeps progressing solar panels are getting more efficient and smaller by the day. Eventually you will be able to produce a lot more energy for the space the space taken up.
Interesting Fact: A solar-powered home can reduce CO2 emissions by 100 tons within 30 years.Solar power translates to clean energy production and you can reduce your carbon footprint significantly by installing a home solar power system.
