3 Things to Consider When Switching to Solar

Clean, renewable energy is in higher demand than ever before, as it is the best chance people have of reducing their carbon footprint in order to mitigate the damage done to the environment. Solar energy provides a great solution to this problem for the individual, but committing to the switch to solar energy needs to be prefaced with the information needed to make the most of it. Here’s what you need to know before taking the leap.

The Advantages of Solar

Solar energy is not an efficient power source by comparison to other means. In fact, no clean energy source can match the efficiency of fossil fuels, at least not currently, and solar is the least efficient. What this means in layperson’s terms is that solar panels aren’t using a higher percentage of the incoming solar energy. This is a problem that will abate over time as technology advances. However, solar panels themselves offer several advantages that can explain why they remain the most popular and viable form of clean energy. First and foremost, solar panels are less costly than their counterparts. Wind turbines and hydroelectric energy can be quite costly. They are also much more accessible and versatile than wind and hydro because they're generally a wide range of sizes and shapes. This also makes them more modular, expanding the variety of configurations that they can take. In terms of consistency, solar is only edged out by hydroelectric, but hydroelectric is simply not viable in many places.

Addressing the Limitations

Simply put, wind turbines and solar panels alike depend on natural processes that don’t provide uniform coverage. This is why any solar panel owner should own a solar panel battery or two, as it allows energy to be stored during the day to be used during the night. This is a sufficient method of addressing the most glaring issue with solar energy. In terms of the technical shortcomings of solar panels, there are solutions on the way. The popularity of solar energy practically guarantees more funding of research and development that will increase the yield of solar panels over time. The existing lack of efficiency of solar panels can be chalked up to their relative youth, considering that windmills and waterwheels predate electricity itself and have long been used to automate machinery in isolation. This means that they have a head start in terms of being used to generate electricity, as well.

Why Choose Solar Over the Alternatives

As previously established, water wheels and other hydroelectric setups are more efficient and more consistent not only than solar panels, but also more so than wind turbines. They also require proximity to a running body of whatever, however, severely limits their use. Likewise, wind turbines are massive structures. For these reasons, they will likely never achieve the widespread use that solar panels are currently seeing. Wind and hydroelectric energy usage tends to see the most use in municipal energy, because they are more expensive and take much more space in order to use them effectively. Solar panels, on the other hand, can be used in much the same way as one would use roof tiling. Likewise, solar panels can be installed one at a time in order to gradually fill space as your budget allows, and the money saved on electricity can help fund a higher energy budget over time. Ultimately, however, it’s a matter of doing what you can. While none of the clean energy sources can outmatch fossil fuels, the continued use of fossil fuels is simply no longer viable for a plethora of reasons, and any clean and renewable energy source would be preferable.

Switching to solar energy can be intimidating, and it does potentially entail some sacrifices. However, these sacrifices are ultimately minor ones in the face of a growing need to reduce your carbon footprint. The guide above gives you the facts you need to make the leap into clean energy safely.