Disadvantages of using solar energy
Posted by Solar energy guru | Filed under Solar energy facts
As global warming is slowly but steadily becoming a major and serious issue, the need for using renewable sources of energy is highly recommended. The first type of renewable source of energy that comes to our mind is that of the solar energy, which is available in abundance. Solar energy is a permanent and natural source of energy used by the earth and its human beings in order to lead a safe and comfortable life. The term “solar energy” refers to the sun’s light and heat that radiated in order to so sustain plant and animal life on earth like every coin has two facets, same with the case of solar energy.
Although the advantages provided by solar energy are innumerable, we often ignore or are simply unaware of the disadvantages that solar energy offers. The first and foremost disadvantage of the solar energy is that of the heavy cost investment that is required to be made initially in order to harness the energy generated by the sun.
The cost of solar energy equipments is high and therefore a large number of people are unable to install the solar energy systems or devices. In addition, it is a proven fact that the cost that is required to set up the solar energy equipments is far higher as compared to the other technologies of fossil fuels. The cost of the solar energy systems is high as the semi-conductor materials used to make or build these energy systems are highly expensive.
Another factor that is responsible for the increased cost of solar energy is the low utility supplied electricity of the non-renewable sources of energy. However, with the increase in demand of electricity with the passing of each day, the cost of installing solar energy systems are becoming price-competitive.
The second disadvantage of the solar energy is that the solar equipments need a large amount of space in order to run efficiently. The need to have a large area for the solar energy equipments is the biggest disadvantage as there are some places where the need to have solar energy is great but the space is either too expensive or too short. As solar energy can also be highly influenced by the pollution or water vapor presence in the atmosphere, one can face some complexities in the proper functioning of the solar energy devices.
Another significant disadvantage of using the solar energy is that a large amount of energy is wasted during the process and therefore it has to be changed or converted into the alternating current or AC. The solar cells have the capability of producing only the direct current or DC and thus the conversion from DC to AC is made by Grid-Tie Inverters thereby incurring a huge loss of about four to twelve percent.
Possible problems faced by using the solar energy panels
In addition, as the solar energy can generate electricity only in the daytime, during evening and night solar panels are virtually ineffective. The expensive solar energy device will be of no use if you need it in the night or when the rays of the sun are not available. Although there are solar energy battery chargers available in the market, but the actual and original result is unavailable.
Pollution is another factor that serves as the disadvantage for the solar energy. Pollution negatively contributes in degrading and reducing the efficiency of the solar panels and the photovoltaic cells. Even the clouds are the hindrances that stop the sunrays from reaching the earth directly and hinder the effective working of the solar panels. Therefore, one should keep in mind both the advantages and disadvantages of the solar energy before taking the decision to install an expensive solar energy panel.
September 20th, 2008 at 9:14 am
What is the Cell voltage and current output ofthe solarcell made of Coprous oxide and copper sheet.
Is it possible to get 500 Watt power output from the panel of such cells?
September 20th, 2008 at 9:19 am
I made a solarcell from Coprous oxide and copper sheet. The cell voltage I got was 0.08 volt. Is it possible to get more than that?
Is it possible to get 500 Watt power output from the panel of such cells?