Before considering the option of energizing our homes and gadgets with solar power, we should know the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy.
Most of the advantages depend on the location of your home and the duration of sunlight available on a daily basis. Also the energy required for every home varies according to the needs and the climate of the surrounding area. An affordable way to get started with the use of this green power is to install Solar water heating system for your home. Advantages and disadvantages of solar energy will also depend on the personal choices you make for efficiently utilizing the resources available for your green home.
Major advantages and disadvantages of solar energy are listed below:
Advantages of solar energy
The biggest advantage of using solar power is the huge amount of savings in energy costs after the initial investment is recovered. Solar 
power is practically free and the initial investment depends on how much energy is utilized per household. A careful home audit is a must before purchasing solar panels as that would help in producing maximum efficiency with minimum costs. Also advantage must be taken from government financial incentives and rebates from utility companies. A surplus production of solar energy can be bought by utility companies thus saving on electricity bills. Apart from this, solar panels used to convert natural sunlight into usable energy have no moving parts and are maintenance free for many years. This in turn is very economical in the long term. Unlike generators, solar panels do not depend on fossil fuels which are subject to ever increasing prices.
The second advantage of using solar energy for your homes is its environment friendliness. Since solar power is renewable and non polluting as it does not require any fuel, it helps protect our environment in the long run. Solar power does not cause an increase in greenhouse gases but on contrary it helps absorb sunlight which has opposite effect on global warming.
Another advantage of implementing solar energy for your daily power needs is its independence. One can expand on the amount of power generated after reinvesting the initial savings on their power bills. This reduces dependence on the central grid and the whole community can become self sufficient which will benefit the entire nation. This will also ensure continuous power supply round the clock and will ensure the power is available even if the central grid fails. Due to its independent nature solar energy can be implemented in remotest areas of the country wherever sufficient sunlight is available. This also helps in providing energy to homes which are located in areas where the terrain is difficult and laying grid cables is not feasible.
Since the solar technology is relatively new, many people may be unaware of its disadvantages. Its better to research thoroughly before investing your hard earned money in a new technology. Its important to weigh both the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy, before making a decision to go ahead or wait further.
Disadvantages of solar energy
The main disadvantage of installing a solar power system is the high initial investment due to high cost of solar panels. One can save costs by assembling a solar panel using DIY kits, but it may not be long lasting if done incorrectly. Over the past few decades the solar technology has improved in terms of efficiency and cost effectiveness, but still a lot of progress needs to be done to improve the efficiency rating. Since solar panels require a large area with direct sunlight to achieve a good level of efficiency and a battery backup to store the converted energy, these all factors add up to the costs.
Locational difficulty is another disadvantage as the solar system will not achieve required efficiency if the weather conditions are not favorable, for example, if the sky remains overcast or during winter months when the average sunlight is restricted to a few hours.
As thought earlier, while reading the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy, a solar energy system as a whole may not be completely pollution free. Although solar panels are environment friendly, the batteries used to store the solar power, use chemicals that may harm the environment. These batteries also need to be replaced frequently in contrast to the solar panels which could last decades. However advances in technology could make the batteries recyclable and this will help in making this system completely green.
After giving a thought about the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy, now one can make informed decisions regarding the expenditure and feasibility of the project. Also there are other green sources of energy which are being developed and researched for example, wind and geothermal energy can produce energy at a greater efficiency and scale compared to solar energy.
