Should you use solar panels at your house? Today, we’re listing some of the reasons why you should think twice before doing it.
What is solar power? In layman’s terms, solar power is the generation of electricity using sunlight. The sun provides us with free energy, but we don’t always take advantage of it.
Solar power is a renewable source of energy that has been around since the 7th century BC. In recent years, solar power has become cheaper and easier to install. As a result, more homes and businesses are using solar panels.
There are several advantages to using solar power over other forms of energy. For example, it’s clean, sustainable, affordable, and reliable. However, there are also some disadvantages to solar power. Read on to discover why solar power isn’t a one size fits all solution.
READ: What are the benefits of using solar panels at home?
Weather/Time dependent
Even when it is cloudy or rainy, solar energy can still be collected. However, solar panels require direct sunlight to collect enough energy for effective operation. It is for this reason that a few cloudy, rainy weather days can have a noticeable impact on the energy system. It’s also worth noting that solar energy cannot be generated at night.
Solar panel is expensive
Solar energy is clean and renewable, but it may not be viable for everyone. There are many factors that go into determining whether solar energy is right for your house. Installing solar panels will require you to invest time and money upfront. You’ll need to consider the amount of electricity you use, the size of your roof, and other variables before making a decision about putting up solar panels.
Obviously, bigger setups are more expensive than small ones, but it won’t make sense if it’s not going to slash a big portion of your electricity bill. Solar panels can be expensive, they can also save you money in the long run.
Solar battery/storage is expensive
Solar energy can be used any time of the year, not just when there is sunlight. If you store enough energy in batteries, you can use it whenever you need it. Batteries are expensive though, so it is best to use them only when you really need them.
If you don’t have batteries for power storage, you will use solar energy during the daytime and then use electricity from the grid during the nighttime.
See also: Can smart plugs help in saving electricity?
Uses lots of space
The more energy you want to generate, the more solar panels you will need, as you want as much sunlight as possible to convert into energy. Some roofs of houses aren’t big enough to fit the number of solar panels that you want. However, you could also place them in your yard, but they need to have sunlight. If you don’t have the space for all of the panels that you want, then you can choose to install less, but it will usually result in less energy production.
Solar panels are not environment-friendly
PV panels are made out of silicon, which is a non-renewable resource. The production of PV panels requires large amounts of energy and emits greenhouse gasses, which results to environmental downsides. The most obvious solution to this problem is to reuse old panels and collect the waste material.
Although solar panels last a long time, there is currently no efficient recycling program available. Disposing of them is not an option because they contain toxic chemicals that could harm the environment. If we want to preserve our planet, recycling should be necessary.
Not ideal if you plan on moving
If you plan to move on and leave your neighborhood, it will be hard to bring the solar panels along with you. Of course, it’s possible to move them around, but it will definitely cost you a good chunk of money to transfer them into your new home because it needs to be setup all over again.
Solar panels could damage your roof
If you install solar panels on your roof, you will need to pay extra attention to the roofing material. Your roof needs to be strong enough to handle the weight of the solar panel system. In addition, you need to make sure that the roof does not have any weak spots that could possibly break down.
But take note that it’s not always the case, as the scenario is on a case-to-case basis depending on the installation and materials used.