Pros Of Solar Energy

 What Are The Major Advantages To Solar Energy?

Pros of solar energy are becoming increasingly apparent, no matter where you stand on the subject of climate change. It's indisputable that one of the major advantages of solar energy is that fact that it's clean. It adds nothing to the atmosphere: neither pollution nor greenhouse gases that many believe are heating up our planet.  

Another of the major pros of solar energy is that it will never run out - not for several billion years, anyway. Although it will take a relatively long time for human beings to deplete natural resources like oil, coal and natural gas, it could happen someday - possibly in just a few hundred years (maybe less). We do not have an infinite supply.

Cost is another of the pros of solar energy. It's true that there's an up front expense to manufacturing and installing solar energy equipment, but there's almost no cost (and minimal maintenance) once the panels are in place. Your monthly savings on electricity bills from a utility company will eventually surpass what you paid for your solar equipment. From then on, your electricity is free. In fact, some homes and businesses generate more electricity from solar power then they can use. This oversupply can be sold to the utility company for other uses.

This ability to create excess electricity is one of the great advantages of solar energy in remote locations. The cost of extending power lines to homes and business that are built in remote areas can be prohibitive. Solar power offers an option which is usually more cost effective.

Solar panels can be installed on rooftops of homes, but they can also be incorporated into the sides of tall buildings. This reduces dependence on the power grid, which can be a great advantage during power outages or blackouts.

Another of the advantages of solar energy is silence. Wind turbines are a wonderful source of renewable energy, but they make noise and noise is a form of pollution. Furthermore, many people consider wind turbines unsightly and don't want them in their neighborhood. Solar panels make no noise, and can often be engineered into the design of a home or building so that they're barely noticeable.

Interesting facts about solar energy

The Mojave Desert in North America is the home of more than 1000 acres of solar reflectors. It provides approximately 90 percent of the world's commercially produced solar power.

Japan is one of the biggest consumers of power produced by solar energy. Most of it goes to residential applications.

In just one hour, more energy strikes the Earth from the sun the population of the entire planets can use in a whole year.

In 1990, an airplane powered only by solar energy flew across the entire continental U.S.

See our related articles on facts about solar energy, solar energy uses and solar energy homes.