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solar energy advantages and disadvantages essay
solar power advantages
solar energy advantages and disadvantages essay
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The sun has been a major aspect of life since the beginning of time. People used many other forms of energy before electricity was discovered. There has been a debate over energy resources for years. Many people are worried about what current energy resources may be doing to the environment. Oil spills and nuclear power plant mishaps have only been a few accidents that have had a big impact on the environment and the people who inhabit it. There are plenty of energy sources that do not harm the environment and are still able to get the job done. Solar energy is one energy alternative that will insure the betterment of the country and, at the same time, protect the natural environment. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association or …show more content…
Two people who believe this are reporters at the Breit Bart News Network. Julian Morris and Victor Nava believe that, “‘Green’ energy subsidies benefit the politically connected while harming future generations as hundreds of millions of dollars are added to the country’s debt burden with each green failure.” In a way Morris and Nava are correct. According to Mathias Aarre Maehlum, “Residential solar systems are typically sized from 3 to 8kW and end up costing between $15,000 and $40,000.” This can add up to become very expensive when implementing solar energy throughout the country. However, with the advancements in technology growing every year the cost will decrease over time. The cost of implementation can in fact go down as well through the use of community solar gardens. This helps the homes that are shaded and cannot absorbs the Sun’s energy. The energy from the community solar gardens are shared through out those homes. Switching to solar energy can also save money over time. Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association confirms this. Resch says, “Today, the solar industry employs nearly 175,000 Americans and pumps more than $15 billion a year into the U.S. economy – and we’re just scratching the surface of our enormous potential” (qtd. in
...sidered as a viable alternative energy source at the present, nonetheless if, with further research, efficiency continues to increase and the cost to produce solar panels continues to decrease, solar energy could be a major contributor to power in the future.
Preview: Today I will discuss the potential that solar power has to become this country’s main supply of energy and the latest research that can make solar power more efficient and cost effective. I will also present the environmental benefits that come with using solar power over other and more harmful forms of energy.
Although solar seems to be excluded from most of the disadvantages listed above tied to using renewable energy sources, it still has two big main disadvantages. The first being that, it is impossible to shut off. The fact that there is no way to shut these solar panels off makes them prone to catch fire. This is harmful to the place they are located. It is especially bad when people put them on their roofs which can cause house fires. Another big issue with solar is that it takes a lot of room for the amount of energy that it produces. According to the U.S. Energy Information Association to produce 1 MW of solar energy, assuming that your panels are located in price sunny locations, it takes 7.4 acres of solar panels. When you compare it to the nuclear reactors that produce on average 770MW for approximately 500 acres of land. To produce the same amount of energy as one single nuclear reactor you would need approximately 5698 acres of land which is 11 times the amount of space that nuclear
Despite generating electricity with fossil fuels for years and years there is a much better way that does not harm the environment. Using Solar panels does not produce any carbon dioxide unlike fossil fuels that “produces huge volumes of carbon dioxide, which is a gas that influences the global climate” (“Solar Power Vs. Fossil Fuels”). Having the choice to get power in a new way that saves the environment, home owners should not have to think twice about trying solar. In fact if home owners collect some amount of watts per hour on Monday, that will not reduce the amount of solar energy a home owner can collect on Wednesday or any other day that week. They can always keep collecting the power. No matter what people may argue about how much coal, natural gas and petroleum remains buried in the Earth, those fossil fuels will run out far earlier than the life of the sun ("Solar Power Vs. Fossil Fuels"). Home owners should invest in solar energy because solar systems have very dependable technology with little maintenance, they offer financial savings and they are better for the environment.
Non renewable energy, such as fossil fuel, is used all over the world. Big part of the population assumes that fossil fuel is a reliable source of energy, easy to obtain, and is relatively cheap. On the other hand, fossil fuel is a non renewable energy, which means that we can use it only once. Also, this burning fossils are not good for the environment and are the main reason of the global warming. In this era a lot of new technologies have been invented. Although not every created invention has been for good, renewable sources such as, solar, wind, and human power are a good alternative of energy. Despite some people thinking that solar energy isn’t helpful and it’s only a bad investment; solar energy is the best way to reduce the greenhouse gases and decelerate the global warming, also, is a good investment and it will help you save money in a short term, and unlike the burning fossil fuel, is not harmful for human’s health.
Today in the United States, the average up front, out of pocket expense to deploy solar panels for homeowners is $17,056 (Glenn, 2014). This large sum of money is usually something the wealthier class can produce, not the lower working class. For an alternative to purchasing and owning solar panels, companies are beginning to come out of the woodwork to offer you financing and lease options. You get the benefit of solar with no out of pocket expense for installation or mainte...
Solar power is only one of the forms of energy. Solar power has its advantages but most of the people the people think the solar panels are expensive disadvantages, but it’s actually an advantage. Solar power starts saving money from day one. Electricity is one of the key things we need to clean up and solar power is the way to do so. (Shanan 1-4) Solar energy is a visible form of alternative energy. Solar panels capture energy from the sun’s rays and convert it to electricity. Solar power offers a clean form of energy. Solar energy carries political considerations just as petroleum does. (Linden 1-4) Virginia Water Resource Research Center has found that solar photovoltaic uses about 21 times less water than nuclear power about 16 times less water than coal power and 8 times less water than a combined cycle power plant. (Shanan 1-4) Solar power has disadvantages also. Solar panels make a ton of pollution when their built, and sun doesn't always shine on them. (Shanan 1-4) They may take several years too see a return on investments. Solar energy is not universal because different areas of the world get different amounts of sunlight. Solar energy may not offer the best solution: there distractions, they have high environmental costs and they have a large outlay of cash. There can be contamination from radio activation saved used to make solar panels. (Hinder 1-4) Installation is expensive being $80,000 for a three bedroom after the federal rebate. The angle of the roof, percentage of sunlight and the area of the country all play a part in the effect of how much it will co...
When I lived in Arizona about seven years ago, I attended a school named Cottonwood Middle School. This school implemented solar technology over a parking lot by putting a structure that is above the cars to provide shade and also a place to hold solar panels. This saved a lot of money for the school and the school district due to utilizing solar technology to the fullest. This started when I was in six grade I only my middle school, but then a progressed and to all of the schools in the district. This included a kindergarten through third-grade school, an elementary school and also a high school in Cottonwood, Arizona (Tracey). This was the first time I have ever seen a solar panel in use, and I know it was used effectively to benefit money by utilizing renewable resources to the max. Solar energy is described as radiant energy that comes from the sun and it is called solar technology, which uses it as energy to power almost anything. Solar technology is an important factor of renewable energy and it could be
Solar energy is one of the useful resources, which do not impact on the environment. Today, most people use fossil fuel, which is nonrenewable and cause pollution, rather than other sources. Also, fossil fuel can make the air unhealthy by releasing carbon dioxide; therefore, solar energy is great because it is renewable energy and it is replaced. Solar energy has many uses some of them can be dangerous and some of them can be useful and helpful for the environment; therefore, there are environmental advantages of solar energy. Overall, solar energy is an alternative source and can be used in many ways: to protect the environment since it is non-polluting and clean, can be used in remote
The sun is a part of almost all of the renewable energy sources either directly or indirectly. The sun’s energy can be directly used through solar panels and use the sun indirectly when using hydropower plants to create energy. Considering the fact that renewable energy is always around and can be used several times it is a better resource for energy than non-renewable energy is. it also does not have the same impact on the environment. "Fossil fuels — coal, oil, and natural gas — do substantially more harm than renewable energy sources", is a statement from the page ucsusa.org (ucsusa.org). this means that by using renewable energy sources it saves the environment from greater damage and cancels the possibility of running out of the energy
... and monthly water filling. Solar energy is the cleanest and purest form of energy, allowing for cleaner air overall in our environment. There is great hope for a lot more solar panels to be installed worldwide. Solar is a viable alternative energy with solar panels becoming more affordable and more efficiently designed.
I am certain that all have heard of the terms green house gases, fossil fuels, and global warming. Have you ever questioned what will happen if nothing is done about the environmental problems facing the world today? What if I answer you that, we can merely use the power from the sun to power up our entire planet without the use of harmful energy sources, which affect our atmosphere? The power from the sun is what we call solar power. Solar power is the energy that comes from the sun as light and heat energy, and then it is later converted into electrical energy through solar panels (Nelson, 2008). This kind of power is completely free, right? Why should we put a lot of expense on other sources of energy, when there is a complete free and healthy power? It is evident that solar energy is a healthy source of energy, which will help stop global warming all together, but it is economically efficient to switch everything to solar energy. Solar energy is capable of becoming the world's future power supply because, it is renewable, eco-friendly, and extremely efficient when strategically placed.
When man figured out how to harvest the sun’s energy, it was a big deal because they finally found a way to power many things without the use fossil fuel. Solar panels have impacted the world for the better because they’ve helped to slow down global
There are many benefits of using solar water heaters. Sunlight is free and environmentally friendly and this planet has so much to use(“Getting better acquainted”). The sun’s energy is renewable, suns energy is all over the world (“Getting better acquainted”). Solar energy has many uses, and it can be stored and used. “Solar energy can be used in many ways to provide heat, lighting, mechanical power, and electricity” (“Getting Better Acquainted”). New steps are being made in solar technology to save resources. America will save so much money and many barrels of oil by switching to solar power, “Skyrocketing fuel prices and tax credit of nearly 30% established in the energy policy act of 2005”(“Tapping into the sun”). The solar water system won’t cost much only “$3000 to $6000” (“Tapping into the sun”) so it will be affordable. “The technology can cut the average family’s costs to heat water by 20 to 40 percent (as much as 90% in some southwestern regions)”(“Tapping into the sun”).
Regarding to solar power, Mistry claims that although the solar power does not generate pollution, it has a lot of costs. To built solar panels with a photovoltaic equipment has high costs. For instance, a photovoltaic system just for a home can cost around $35,000 (Kumar, 2012). However, if our goal for the future is to get a healthy environment, switch fossil fuels for solar power might be the best choice to achieve that goal. According to Kumar (2012), Solar power is a clean and renewable energy so, it decreases the dependency on fossil fuel and also reduces the air pollution. When the sun heats the panel, it generates clean energy which does not pollute the environment. All in all, the costs of solar power might not be applicable when it is certainly the best way for having a clean