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Home & Garden Articles
Using Solar Energy - The Benefits and Pitfalls
Thu 21 May 2009 - 07:45
Using Solar Energy - The Benefits and Pitfalls
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_MacRae]Jennifer MacRae
As with anything in this world, there are advantages and disadvantages to using solar power instead of fossil and nuclear fuel. Mainly, of course, is the question of pollution. But beyond that we are also becoming very dependent on these options, and the majority of what we use is produced outside of our own countries. This also leads us to dependence on the foreign exporter - and the fluctuating pricing.
The main benefit of solar energy is that it does not pollute. The sun is natural, and maintains the earth's ecological balance. Oil and its derivatives, on the other hand produce a great amount of pollutants. To supply the average home with electricity for a year, 22,000 pounds of carbon monoxide will be produced during the processing of the needed oil.
Maintenance on the solar panels is fairly minimal, aside from the mechanical parts, so once you have a system installed there is not much else required. Solar energy is free and in great supply. It's a renewable resource, the sun isn't going anywhere! Once we've used the supply the earth provides of oil and natural gas, they are gone forever. Because of this the pricing is extremely volatile as well, dependent not only on current supply and demand but on political situations too. With renewable energy options, available all over the world, there isn't that issue.
One other advantage to solar energy that is rarely discussed is that they decrease noise pollution. Solar panels are relatively silent to operate. If you have ever been around oil drills, rigs, and pumps you know that they are anything but silent. They can be heard for quite a large radius. As oil is becoming more in demand these sites are popping up everywhere, so many residential and farming communities are being forced to deal with this new form of pollution.
Even though the actual solar energy is free, start up costs and installation can be expensive. This does tend to pay off eventually through the savings in electrical bills. As solar energy becomes a more popular choice the equipment costs will go down. Based on current demand the technology is still rather expensive. On a national and global level, the power grid structure would need to be upgraded. Current lines used to distribute power in many areas are clogged, and would need another approach.
Some people also point out the fact that the sun is not shining every day, and depending on where you live sometimes weeks can go by without the access to sunlight. This is true, but during those periods you can use stored energy from when there was a surplus in the energy. That being said, the best way to conquer that pitfall is to use multiple forms of renewable power generation solutions.
At this point, we all know that something has to change. Though there are disadvantages to using solar power, the benefits far outweigh them. As the need for alternatives to meet our ever-growing energy demands increase, solar power and other renewable energy resources will become the norm.
Jenn MacRae has only just begun to bring her passion for environmentally friendly options to the web. For more information on your renewable energy options, and tips on what you can do please visit her squidoo lens at http://www.squidoo.com/renewable-alternative-energy-tips
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_MacRae http://EzineArticles.com/?Using-Solar-Energy---The-Benefits-and-Pitfalls&id=2364030
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