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Solar energy replaces the use of fossil fuels with cleaner, renewable energy. The less natural gas is used, the less the air is being polluted with CO2. Arizona has a lot of sunlight, so why not use that to create energy to live on this planet more sustainably? Using Solar power is a reliable source of energy in Arizona, because most of our days are full of sunshine which can be harvested into energy.

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Solar Energy Advantages and Disadvantages

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Solar Energy Advantages and Disadvantages

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With advancements in technology, you might think solar energy is a simple solution for the world's increasing need for energy. Unfortunately, it is not simple. Solar energy production has advantages and disadvantages, just like energy production from other sources.

While sunlight is free, the cost of collecting and converting it to a useable energy is not. Cost is one factor people look at when they consider solar energy. The columns to the right list some solar energy advantages and disadvantages. Can you think of more?

Solar Energy Advantages

Sunlight is renewable day after day.

After equipment and set-up costs, solar energy is free. In the end, you save money.

Solar energy is a clean energy-it does not pollute our air.

Solar energy not used during the day can be stored in a battery system, or sold to the power company.

Solar Energy Disadvantages

Collecting solar energy depends on location and weather conditions.

Equipment is expensive. The average household makes up the cost in about seven years.

Solar panels and other collectors take up a lot of space.

You cannot produce solar electricity at night.

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Solar Energy Advantages and Disadvantages

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With advancements in technology, you might think solar energy is a simple solution for the world's increasing need for energy. Unfortunately, it is not simple. Solar energy production has advantages and disadvantages, just like energy production from other sources. While sunlight is free, the cost of collecting and converting it to a useable energy is not.

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Solar Power Facts

Check out our interesting solar power facts for kids.How do we use solar energy from the sun? What are solar panels? Where is the world's largest solar power plant?

Find out the answers to these questions and more with our range of solar power facts and general information.

Solar energy is obtained from sunlight.

Solar energy has been used by humans for a long time for uses such as heating, cooking food, removing salt from seawater and drying clothes.

These days it is also used to create electricity. As technology has improved, solar power costs have decreased and it has become a more viable alternative, competing with energy sources such as coal and oil.

While solar power is becoming more efficient, it only provides a small fraction of the world's energy supply.

Solar cells convert light energy into electricity.

Solar cells are also called photovoltaic cells.

Solar cells can be used to power portable devices such as calculators.

Large numbers of solar cells are put together to create solar panels.

The largest solar power plant in the world is found in the Mojave Desert, USA.

Spacecraft and space stations such as the International Space Station (ISS) often use solar panels to generate power.

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Solar Power Facts for Kids - Energy from the Sun

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Solar Power Facts Check out our interesting solar power facts for kids.How do we use solar energy from the sun? What are solar panels? Where is the world's largest solar power plant? Find out the answers to these questions and more with our range of solar power facts and general information.

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Solar energy is a renewable and a never energy resource. There are many advantages of harnessing solar energy. However, there are two sides to everything, and there is a list of disadvantages to accompany the list of advantages.
Advantages

Solar energy is a completely renewable resource which means that even when we cannot make use of the sun's power because of night time or cloudy and stormy days, we can always rely on the sun showing up the very next day as a constant and consistent power source.

Initial cost of solar panels and solar lighting may seem quite but in the long run it saves quite a great deal of money. It does not cost anything to harness the power of the sun. Harnessing sun's energy is absolutely free.

Solar energy creates absolutely no pollution. Solar cells are totally silent and non-polluting.

Very little maintenance is required to keep solar cells running. There are no moving parts in a solar cell so, they require little or no maintenance at all, and have a long lifetime.

Solar powered panels and products are typically extremely easy to install. Wires, cords and power sources are not needed at all, making this an easy prospect to employ.

Disadvantages

Installation of solar panels is expensive. Initial investment is high.

Solar energy cannot be harnessed during a storm, on a cloudy day or at night. Some days you may still need to rely on other sources of energy.

Most of the solar devices occupy large space to achieve average efficiency.

The efficiency of solar panels is low comparative to other sources of energy. To achieve equivalent output large equipment is required.

Geographical location and climate of a place can be a source of disadvantage of solar energy. The efficiency of the solar panels is dependent upon the amount of sunlight received.

Air pollution and weather can also have a large effect on the efficiency of the cells.

Do not get same efficiency on all the days and during every season as the intensity of sun's light changes with season

Image source: https://www.uk-energy-saving.com/advantages-disadvantages-solar-energy.jpg

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy

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Solar energy is a renewable and a never energy resource. There are many advantages of harnessing solar energy. However, there are two sides to everything, and there is a list of disadvantages to accompany the list of advantages.

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This article talks about the basics of solar energy.

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Kids learn about solar energy and how this renewable power can help the environment. Teach students about solar cells and using the sun for heat.

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The solar irradiance or sunshine hits the solar panels. The solar panels transfer the electric current to a charge controller. Then the battery system becomes charged and either stays in the battery or goes to an inverter. Lastly, the power goes to either a house of building for the clean energy to be put into use.

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This resource has different pros and cons of solar energy and if you click the name of the one you want to learn about, it will give you more detail.

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If you're looking to install solar panels on your home, you'll find a wide range of information. This can make it difficult to figure out whether or not solar panels are the right fit for you.

To help you out, we've put together a conclusive list that weighs the pros and cons of solar.

Solar energy pros and cons

Looking at the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy from a homeowner's perspective is an important step in the research process when considering installing solar panels for your home.

Here are a few that come up most often:

Main solar energy pros and cons

Pros of solar energy

Cons of solar energy

Reduces electric bill

High upfront cost

Insurance against rising power prices

Intermittent energy source

Solar is cheaper than ever

Manufacturing panels has some impact on the environment

See a return on your investment

Requires space

Environmentally friendly

Not the best if you're planning to move

Energy independence

The argument for the average American homeowner to install solar panels for their home is now better than it has ever been, as the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

Let's take a closer look at each of these solar energy pros and cons.

Advantages of solar energy

1. Reduces your electric bill

One of the biggest benefits of solar panels is that they can provide you with substantial savings on your electric bill. Many states require utilities to offer net metering, which allows homeowners to offset their electric costs with the energy their solar panels produce.

They can then sell that excess energy to the utility. This will usually be added to their electric bills as a credit that can then be used to offset future electricity costs.

In many states, adding solar panels to your home can bring in electric bill savings of well over $1,000 per year. Residents of California who go solar save an average of $99,181 over the lifetime of their solar system!

2. Insurance against rising power prices

One thing most homeowners know is that electricity keeps getting more expensive. The price of electricity has increased steadily over the past 10 years, with an average increase of about $0.2 per year. The cost of electricity will continue to rise into the future, meaning your electric bill will continue to go up too.

Solar panels protect you from these rising electricity costs. Because you are producing your own energy, you don't have to buy that expensive power from your utility. So, rising electric costs are a worry of the past! In fact, rising prices might actually be a good thing when you install solar.

For example, let's say your utility charges 12 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity. That means with net metering, your utility would pay you 12 cents for each excess kWh of electricity your solar panels produce and send to the grid.

If your utility raises its electricity price to 13 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity, that means the power you send to the grid would also be worth 13 cents.

So, net metering is saving you more money each time your utility company raises its prices!

3. Solar is cheaper than ever

While electricity prices continue to get more expensive, the cost of solar has continued to fall. Solar is now cheaper than ever; in fact, the cost has fallen over 70% in the past decade. These low prices make solar more accessible to more homeowners than ever before.

Installing solar can be even cheaper when you take advantage of solar incentives. For example, if you install a solar system before the end of 2032, you could be eligible for the 30% federal tax credit.

This tax credit is equal to 30% of the total cost of your solar system and is applied to your income taxes. In addition to the federal tax credit, there are many other solar incentives offered locally.

4. See a return on your investment

Solar panels not only eliminate your electric bill, they can also be a source of extra income. As we mentioned before, net metering allows you to earn money by selling excess power your solar panels generate to your utility.

Some states have other performance-based incentives, like Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs), that have the potential to earn you hundreds of dollars a year, depending on where you live.

The money you earn from net metering, combined with your electric bill savings and other incentives, goes towards paying back the cost of your system. In areas that have all of these incentives, the payback time for a solar panel system can be as little as four years.

Once your system is paid off, your solar panels will continue to generate free power for your home for the lifetime of the system!

5. Environmentally friendly

Another big selling point for solar is that it is a renewable energy source. This means that as you use the resource, it doesn't deplete the source. So, by using the sunlight that hits the earth and turning it into electricity, we don't deplete the sun's energy.

Plus, electricity created with solar panels does not produce any greenhouse gas emissions. Nothing is being released into the atmosphere when we produce electricity with solar panels. The only thing that's created is clean energy!

6. Energy independence

Having solar panels allows homeowners to create their own energy, thereby giving them energy independence. Essentially this means a solar home isn't as dependent on the traditional electric grid. This allows you to take power into your own hands and control where your home is getting its energy from.

On a larger scale, the United States making the switch to solar and other renewable energies would allow the country to achieve energy independence. The US would not have to rely heavily on other countries to get oil and gas like we do now.

Using energy created right here in the US and not relying on foreign sources is great for national security and for the country's economy.

Disadvantages of solar energy

1. High upfront cost

The large upfront cost is one of the biggest drawbacks of solar panel systems. As of January 2023, the average cost of solar in the U.S. is about $3.00 per watt. So, a 6 kW solar panel system would run you around $18,000, on average, before the federal tax credit is applied.

The actual cost of a solar system will vary by state, and by the incentives that you qualify for.

Luckily, there are solar financing options available. In many cases, you can qualify for a zero-down solar loan, which allows you to still save money on your electric bill and reap the benefits of owning a solar system.

2. Solar energy is an intermittent energy source

There are three main reasons why solar is considered an intermittent source of power:

1. The sun doesn't shine at night. Therefore solar panels don't generate power at night.

2. The intensity of the sun varies based on the location, the time of year, and the time of day.

3. Cloud, snow, and foliage cover can have a significant effect on the amount of energy produced by solar panels.

All of these factors have been used to argue that solar power cannot be relied on for base load or mission-critical applications. However, this is changing with the emergence of cost-effective battery solutions. Batteries allow homeowners to store their solar power and draw energy from the battery when their solar panels aren't producing energy.

The most popular residential solar battery is the Tesla Powerwall, a 13.5 kWh lithium-ion battery. Other manufacturers, such as sonnen, LG, and BYD, offer great solar batteries for home energy storage, as well.
Ongoing advances in battery storage are a sign that intermittency may not be a limitation on solar power for long.
3. Solar panel manufacturing has some environmental impact

While the power that solar panels generate is emission-free, it is important to note that there is some pollution associated with the manufacturing of solar panels.

Some solar panels contain harmful pollutants, like sulfur hexafluoride, which is more potent than carbon dioxide. However, the impact of carbon dioxide on the climate is much greater than that of sulfur hexafluoride.
The environmental impact of solar panels is minimal compared to the amount of damage associated with the mining and burning of fossil fuels.
4. Solar panels require space

Solar panels require space in order to meet energy needs. For residential installations, a roof will almost always have enough space. However, when you look at large grid-scale solar installations, space can be a bit of an issue.

This is because solar panels have a lower power density. Power density is how much power can be derived from an energy source within a certain area, measured in watts per square meter (W/m ²). The power density of solar panels is low compared to those of fossil fuels.

This means that you need a larger area of solar panels in order to produce the same amount of energy that a coal plant would. However, the amount of land that was mined for fossil fuels is not considered in this measurement.
So although you would need a large solar power plant and a small coal plant, the mining of coal destroys acres upon acres of land, whereas the solar power plant does not.
5. You can't take solar with you

One of the disadvantages of installing solar panels on your home is that it can be expensive to move them, should you decide to move. The net metering agreement with your utility is fixed to the property. Also, finding someone to remove and reinstall your solar panels can be costly.

But, solar panels do add value to your home, so even if you do move, you are likely to see the value of your solar panels reflected in a higher sale price.

If you do plan on moving in the near future, it is best to purchase your solar panels outright. If you have a solar lease or a power purchase agreement (PPA), you will need the new owner to take over your agreement, which can be a hassle.

Should you install solar panels?

The pros of solar energy greatly outweigh the cons. The cost to install solar is now cheaper than ever, the solar tax credit has been extended until 2035, and the price of electricity is only going to continue to rise. The sooner you make the switch to solar, the sooner you can start saving.

Use our solar calculator to find out how much solar can save you.

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If you're looking to install solar panels on your home, you'll find a wide range of information. This can make it difficult to figure out whether or not solar panels are the right fit for you. To help you out, we've put together a conclusive list that weighs the pros and cons of solar.

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This is a solar energy plant in Yuma, AZ. The solar farm provides power through renewable energy to over 100,000 homes in California. Solar farms are one of the biggest ways we obtain green energy.

To learn more about the Agua Caliente Solar Project, go to http://www.firstsolar.com/en/About-Us/Projects/Agua-Caliente-Solar-Project.aspx

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What is it like to have solar energy at your house?

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What is it like to have solar energy at your house?

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This video hows the process of how solar energy is used in homes.

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How home solar panels work -- a video from BP

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Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Energy Sources

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Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Energy Sources

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Watch this video to learn about the different kinds of renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy. Learn about how we use geothermal power, wind power, solar power, and fossil fuels in order to live our lives the way we do today.

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Stop Motion Film: Renewable vs NonRenewable Energy Sources