Solar Energy Advantages and Disadvantages

Without the sun, living life on earth is indeed impossible. Sun as we known is a ball of fire that gives us light and heat. The energy that we receive from the sun is called as the solar energy. With the help of this energy serious problems regarding energy that is needed everyday can be solved. Solar energy means capturing the rays of the sun and storing and its heat. This heat can be converted with the help of solar panels into heat or electrical energy. When we talk about solar energy, there are two kinds of solar energy namely, thermal energy and electrical energy.

What is Solar Energy?

Solar energy, a renewable power source harnessed from the sun, has emerged as a key solution to modern energy challenges. It offers numerous advantages, including sustainability, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and lower electricity bills. However, it also faces drawbacks such as intermittent energy production, high initial costs, and space requirements. Understanding these pros and cons is essential for evaluating solar energy’s role in our transition towards more sustainable energy systems.

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Thermal energy is something which we can find everywhere and is totally free of cost. It helps us ding our daily chores like dries things, clothes, heats water, and many other things.  Water can basically be heated in two ways i.e. actively and passively.  In active method, when a heating element inside the solar hot water system heats the water during hot season. In the passive method the water is pre heated and flows through a cold inlet that of a conventional electric geezer.

Talking about electric energy, the power of the sun is used to produce electricity with the help of solar cells. It can be used through a solar home system that helps in conducting electricity where there is no power supply. Apart from that it can be used a system where the electricity supplying utility is connected to the property and lastly it can be used as a backup system where there are frequent load shedding problems.

Read more about solar energy in the post: Solar Energy Facts

Importance of Solar Energy:

As mentioned before solar energy is required and is important for survival of life on earth. Not only human beings, plants, animals everyone requires solar energy every day. Plants require solar energy to produce oxygen, prepare food i.e. photosynthesis. Solar energy is required to produce both pure and saltwater in oceans as it is the only source of melting the frozen ice formed on the mountain caps. Apart from that the electricity which we get to run various machines is all gained from the solar energy, thus its importance and existence is very important on a planet where there is life.

Solar energy is a clean and renewable energy. Also it’s versatile and can help in producing power for watches and calculators that do not run on batteries. It’s a clean energy because it is received directly from the sun. The fossil fuels and other gas and oil that are extracted from the mines are non renewable energy. Also they are costly and cause lot of pollution. But solar energy is something that is renewable and can be used for lots of activities. Also it is available free of cost. As fossil fuels and other oils are soon going to disappear solar energy which is available in abundant should be utilized well and hence is important.

Advantages and Uses of Solar Energy:

As we know solar energy is one such energy that is abundantly available and is free of cost, let’s have a look at some of its advantages.

• An energy that is totally free of cost and saves your money as the Sun is always going to be there.
• It is an environment friendly energy and hence does not create pollution.
• Provides electricity that is helps in producing electricity with the help of solar panels.
• A silent energy provider as the solar cells do not create sounds while extracting heat from the sun and producing electricity.
• Solar energy helps in reducing the electricity bill.
• The solar energy system can work independently without any connection and can be utilized and installed in remote areas too where there is no sign of electricity.
• Solar energy helps in decreasing the harmful gasses and does not contribute to acid rains, global warming, forest destruction and other natural disasters.
• No maintenance is required for solar energy and also it does not have any specific life span
• Solar energy is used for ventilating homes  i.e. ceiling fans need electricity which is gained from solar energy
• Solar energy can be used to boil water instead of suing water heaters you can make use of the solar energy. Though you need to spend initially you will gain good benefits out of it in future.
• Solar energy can help in heating your homes and charging batteries.
• It can also be used for cooking purposes by using solar oven
• It can be used to heat swimming pools. Suppose you have a swimming pool outside you house you can make use of solar blanket to heat water during extreme cold seasons.
• You can use solar energy for indoor and outdoor lighting at night as it will help you see the entry door and walkway clearly.

Apart from these, solar energy can be used for commercial and industrial purposes too.

Disadvantages of Solar Energy:

• Solar energy can be used only during the daytime i.e. when the sun is shining bright
• The solar collectors, panels and cells that are used to absorb heat from the sun are very expensive
• In case of cloudy climate, there would be no signs of sun and solar energy which is difficult.
• The solar batteries that are charged or needs to be charged are very heavy and require large storage space. Replacing it is also difficult.
• Its low in efficiency and requires lots of land area
• There is no consistency because the devices that require energy of the sun will only work if the delivery of photons is consistent.
• Replacing the solar energy panels is also a very difficult job.
• Installation of solar energy requires large area so that the system can provide good amount of electricity. This is a great disadvantage in places where the area is small
• Pollution can be a hindrance to solar panels as pollution can degrade the efficiency of the photovoltaic cells. Clouds can also affect solar energy.
• The technology that is used to create solar energy is changing from time to time and we hope it makes lives better and more cost effective

Applications of Solar Energy:

The applications of solar energy can be bifurcated into three types i.e. Power, Domestic and Agriculture. Few popular applications that can be listed under these are as follows:

• Solar Water heater
• Tank collector
• Portable solar still
• Solar Cooker
• Solar steam cooker
• Portable solar dryer
• Solar PV street light

These are some applications apart from these are many and are used on daily basis for different purposes. Let’s have a look in architecture applications. Under these applications we have the heating systems, cooling systems and the ventilation systems.

Architectural Purpose:

Architecture makes use of solar energy to a great extent. Architects require equipments that are required to produce solar energy. While deigning buildings. Thus for converting the sun’s energy into solar, solar cells and panels are required. Solar energy thus needs to be integrated for designing for the home.

Industrial Purpose:

Few industries are located in places where there is no power supply. In that case solar energy can be used as it can be generated in rural areas too until there is enough sunlight coming. Solar energy is used for radio, television, micro waves etc. Apart from that is also used for transportation purposes too.

Rural Vacation Homes:

Homes that are located in rural areas do not get proper electricity. In that case solar energy can be used. The houses can be deigned to use solar energy so that the vacations can spend their holidays well even if it’s placed in a rural area.