Con: They May Be Expensive To Install
While you save money by using less electricity, you spend a lot of money upfront buying solar panels. The bigger your energy needs, the more your cost is, and you can spend tens of thousands of dollars. The government can give you credits for adding solar panels, on the bright side. And some providers are actually offering interesting ways to fund your PV installation, so you dont need to invest a massive initial capital to get going. Depending on where you live and your payment plan, your energy savings could equal your monthly payment. Also, thanks to advances in energy conversion and manufacturing, solar panels are cheaper than ever. According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the median cost of a residential solar project fell from $12 per watt in 1998 to $4.70 per watt in 2013. EnergySage reports that the average cost of a 5-kilowatt rooftop system in the third quarter of 2014, before incentives, was as low as $3.70 per watt. In 2018, most homeowners are paying between $2.71 and $3.57 per watt to install solar. As you can see, solar energy is becoming cheaper year after year.
Using the U.S, average for system size at 6 kW , solar system costs will range from $11,380 to $14,990 . For some, it makes sense to install now, for others perhaps you have to wait. Check out the calculator below to learn where you fit.
Heres how much a solar power system will set you back on average in the following states:
| STATE | |
|---|---|
| $9,954 $13,650 | $16,590 $22,750 |
If You Cant Access Solar Financing Up
Theres a nationwide debate going on about how much homeowners have to pay out-of-pocket for solar. The total out-of-pocket price tag for a solar panel system depends on tax credits, rebates, and the financing option you choose. Though you can easily get a figure for the average cost of solar in your state or even a personalized estimate for your home, the simple answer is that the up-front cost of solar is sizable if you dont qualify for a zero-down solar loan.
The disadvantage of solar energy here is clear: not everyone has the cash on hand to make an investment of this size with an up-front payment. That being said, there are a number of solar financing options to help you get around this solar con such as state-backed loan programs, leases and power purchase agreements.
Your Property Value Will Increase If You Have Solar Energy
Something that is often overlooked is that if you invest in renewable solar energy, it will improve the valuation of your house.
According to research conducted by Zillow, solar power can increase your propertys value. So installing solar panels is not just an investment in earning a monthly return from electricity generation, its also adding value to your home. This is why we mention it in solar energy pros and cons.
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Less Production On Overcast Days
We all feel a little gloomy on overcast days, but solar panels do more than most. How much energy your solar panels generate will depend on how much sun is hitting them. On cloudier days, your panels wont be working at max capacity, meaning you might have to make up the shortfall in power from the grid.
Constellation Energy And Solar Energy
When weighing the pros and cons of solar energy for your home, there are additional options worth considering. Community solar projects are a great way to get the advantages of solar energy without buying and maintaining a system yourself.
If your home and roof wont support solar panels or if you dont have enough money to invest in one, community solar might be your answer. With this option, you agree to participating in a program that allows you receive credits for every kWh generated by the solar facility. You get a credit on your electricity bill proportional to your percentage of ownership in the projects energy.
Residential
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Wide Range Of Solar Products
Another massive advantage of solar panels is the huge range of different solar panel products available.
There are solar panels that are built for performance for those people who are looking for a high-end system to perform for a long time.
For homeowners who are looking for a good budget system then there is a massive range to be browsed from as well.
Thermal solar panels are also available for people who spend most of their energy on heating and want to use solar to help lower the cost.
Solar panels can be purchased with an all-in-one battery system for homeowners who need to store their power to use at night instead.
Having this wide variety of options comes as a massive advantage for homeowners as they can get solar panels specific to their requirements and needs.
Con: Its Weather Dependent
Solar energy works during cloud and rainy days but its efficiency drops significantly. Just a few cloudy or rainy days could have a noticeable effect on your energy bills bottom line. Most importantly, solar energy cannot be collected during the night, which forces you to install batteries to store energy.
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The Pros And Cons Of Installing Solar Panels
There is a lot of useful solar energyinformation out there and sadly, lots of harmful misinformation too.
In this post, we are going to cover somethe main advantages and disadvantages of installing solar panels and theindustry as a whole.
The advantages of solar energy spread farand wide. The benefits of solar panelshave extensive implications including financial, social and of course,environmental factors. Many of these are well known, many of these are not wewill investigate each one thoroughly.
The industry does not often talk about thedisadvantages of solar power, but we are going to change that by opening up afew of the imperfections relating to the industry and the solar panelsthemselves.
No technology is perfect, and manyperceived disadvantages are just solarmyths. We will take an in-depth lookat what real, and more importantly, what is being done to improve thetechnology.
Community Solar Customers Are Often Not Eligible For Solar Incentives
Many people who invest in a community solar program do so under a subscription model with this pricing model, you dont own any solar panels at the farm, but rather pay for electricity generated at the solar farm at a rate thats typically lower than what youre paying your utility company. Many solar incentives are only available to people who purchase and own a solar panel system with a community solar subscription, because you dont own any part of the solar farm, youre not eligible for solar incentives like tax credits or rebates, as your community solar company or developer is taking advantage of those incentives themselves.
The exception to this rule is if youre participating in a community solar ownership model, which means you purchase and own a specific share of a community solar farm. While this program type is less common than subscription programs, those who participate in an ownership program may be eligible for federal and/or state-specific solar incentives, but it is not guaranteed.
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What Is The Average Cost Of Installing Solar Energy In The Usa
For a solar panel, its $3.14 per watt, and the average system is 6 kilowatts . With this in mind, the average solar system is about $18,840.
With your Federal Investment Tax Credit, that will bring the cost down by 22-26% based on what year you have it installed. Also, its worth checking out if your state offers any further nancial incentives.
Will Solar Panels Reduce My Electricity Bill?
This is reliant on the state you live in, but yes, you will definitely enjoy electricity bill savings. According to Pay Less Power, the average electricity rates for The USA range from between $84 $274 per month.
That means your solar panels would need to produce savings in electricity to offset the cost of electricity your utility company charges each month. Only then can you see how many years it will take to break even.
Later in the article, well give you the math to work out how long it would take you to break even.
Some factors to take into consideration that will affect this include:
- The cost of the solar panel system
- Size of the panels and roof
- Hours of sunlight
- The angle of the roof
- The weather patterns in your region
- Whether you install the solar panels yourself
Wind Vs Solar Energy Which Is Better
Wind and Solar Energy both share many of the same pros and cons.
For example, they both cut down on air-pollution, boost the local infrastructure and economy, provide energy to rural areas, provide backup energy in case of emergencies, and lead to a more sustainable world.
On the flip side, they both share some of the same cons such as they are both very expensive to implement, can be inconsistent power sources depending on the elements and weather, they can be seen as an eyesore, both rely heavily on government subsidies, and they are made with rare and expensive Earth materials.
So since they share many of the same pros and cons, which is better?
If we are comparing apples to apples, wind is definitely a more efficient source of power.
They require less energy to operate, release less CO2 into the environment, and produce the most energy overall.
However, because of how large they are, wind turbines are not sustainable for densely populated areas.
They are more commonly seen in rural areas, far from the areas that are perhaps the most in need of their energy.
Solar panels are much more practical for densely populated areas such as urban or suburban regions.
Because of their design, they can be installed on rooftops of schools, churches, and other buildings provided much needed energy to cities and towns.
Solar panels can even be used to generate power for transit systems.
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What Is Solar Energy
The sun is a powerful energy source even if we cannot gather a portion of its energy, harnessing this power by installing solar panels can significantly impact the globe.
While it has been extensively attacked for being costly or inefficient, solar energy has now shown to be incredibly helpful not just for the environment but also for the private economy. Moreover, as technology has developed, solar energy has also seen several developments in its structure and functioning.
Become Less Efficient With Time
As with any technology ever, solar panels and batteries will deteriorate over time. Solar panels are directly exposed to the elements, and while built with heavy duty materials and made to last, as a rule of thumb its thought that panels decrease in efficiency by 20 per cent in approximately as many years. Batteries, whilst normally stored inside, will typically last for about 10 years before they begin to become significantly less effective. Make sure you check the warranty of your solar system to ensure the longevity of your investment.
Image credits: Federico Rostagno/shutterstock.com, amophoto_au/shutterstock.com, Milleflore Images/shutterstock.com, Rvector/shutterstock.comOriginal author: Monika Gudova
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Investing In A Solar Power System Can Increase The Value Of Your Home
Several studies have shown that home buyers are willing to pay more for homes with solar panels. Note that this helps offset one of the primary cons of solar energy, which is the steep startup cost of solar panels but more on that later.
Heres a bonus as well most states offer property tax exemptions on renewable energy systems like solar panels. This means that even though a solar array adds around $20,000 of value to your property, your taxes wont increase accordingly.
Solar Panels Are Expensive
The average 5kW solar panel system costs $15,000 in the United States. Larger systems can quickly reach price tags of $20,000. Not exactly pocket change.
Many people opt to finance their solar panels which means they will also incur interest, adding to the costs.
Itâs a big financial decision and itâs not something you can get out of. Solar panels are usually a 20 year or more long commitment.
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Your Solar Power Can Helps The Community
If you use less energy than your solar panels accumulate, you may be able to sell it back to the communal grid through the utility companysomething known as net metering. One of the clearest benefits to this is that you can further reduce your utility bills. Looking beyond that, this is a way to contribute to the grid, reduce the strain of electricity demands, and further help the environment by reducing the need to import non-renewable energy sources to the community.
Solar Electricity Can Be Sold Back To The Grid
Depending on where you live, you could be eligible for net metering. Net metering is an electric billing tool that uses the electric grid to store excess energy produced by your solar panel system. Under net metering, energy your solar panels produce and you dont use is credited back to you. This means that you could potentially receive a credit toward your bill for unused energy and essentially sell solar energy back to the electric grid.
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Manufacturing Of Solar Panels Can Harm The Environment
Although solar panels produce clean, renewable energy, the process it takes to manufacture them can harm the environment. Mass production of solar panels may result in fossil fuels being burned and plastic waste.
Unfortunately, this is one of the overlooked disadvantages of solar panels. They are not eco-friendly to mass manufacture. Then again, you can ask what is these days? This is quite a shame because solar panels stand for a big movement to fight the climate crisis.
This does become a disadvantage for solar panels although they themselves produce green, renewable energy. Overall, Id say that they still do more good than they do bad.
Solar Doesnt Generate Power At Night
Obviously, solar power relies on the sun to generate power. As such, one of the chief problems with solar energy is that the panels dont work at night. Fortunately, there are different solutions to this challenge.
To begin with, many companies offer batteries capable of storing surplus electricity created during the day. Therefore, even though your panels dont generate electricity at night, you can store enough power to meet your needs.
Alternatively, in some areas, you can capitalize on net metering, which allows you to get credit for surplus power generated during the day. You can then use that credit to offset your electricity costs in the evening.
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Solar Power Is A Viable Alternative To Fossil Fuels
The advantage of solar power plant is that in addition to being a renewable energy source, it can also be used to generate electricity for families, enterprises, industries and rural. On paper, the price for solar panel installation might overwhelm you. Not every roof configuration is ideal for maximum solar power generation.
Solar Energy Can Reduce Your Utility Bill
Statista has projected that the residential electricity price in the United States will increase by 1.3 percent between 2021 and 2022.
These rates will rise even further over the next decade as global electricity prices increase. Whether you use oil, gas or solid fuel to power your home, now is a great time to consider using solar energy to complement your existing sources of electricity or even switching completely.
As solar is cheap to produce and renewable, its one reason weve seen a corresponding increase in solar power capacity.
Depending on where you live, creating electricity with your own solar panels will more or less guarantee to reduce your utility bill. Even more, youre not reliant on your local energy company.
When looking at solar energy pros and cons its important to see how it can cushion you from rising energy costs.
If you are looking at the financials around solar energy, check out our guides on, How Much Do Solar Panels Cost?
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Solar Powered Cars Pros And Cons List
Solar energy is a renewable resource that has gained popularity over the years to supply electricity to residential homes. With the hybrid electric cars gaining modest following in the United States, the idea of solar powered cars on the road in the near future is not far from becoming a reality, enthusiasts and experts say.
These cars get power from the sun by using solar panels mounted on top of the vehicles car and using solar cells to convert the stored energy into electricity. They are said to be able to travel approximately 250 miles on stored energy at 60 miles per hour.
However, despite the promises this invention are offering, critics are still not fully buying this notion. They have raised several disadvantages of making these cars commercially available. Here is a look at the benefits and drawbacks of solar powered cars according to critics and supporters.
Solar Panels Have Long Lasting Warranties
Companies that design, test and manufacturer and solar panels include long lasting warranties with their products.
This shows that they have a lot of confidence in the performance of solar panels and that they are guaranteed to reach a minimum performance for a period of time.
Long lasting warranties are a big benefit of solar panels because they show that they wont break or stop performance within the first 10+ years installing them. Companies like Jinko, LG and SunPower offer great warranties.
Homeowners can feel like moving to solar is less risky, because they are covered by the solar panels warranties.
It also means they can work out their estimated saving given that there are no issues with the solar panels.
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