【example1】
Advantages：
Inexhaustible fuel source
No pollution
Often an excellent supplement to other renewable sources
Versatile--is used for powering items as diverse as solar cars and satellites
Disadvantages：
Very diffuse source means low energy production--large numbers of solar panels (and thus large land areas) are required to produce useful amounts of heat or electricity
Only areas of the world with lots of sunlight are suitable for solar power generation
【example2】
Many of us know that solar energy is a good thing, but few really understand why. Therefore, I compiled a comprehensive list of solar energy advantages and disadvantages that will enable you to make an educated decision whether on not Solar Power is right for YOU.
Solar Energy Advantages
1. Saves you money
After the initial investment has been recovered, the energy from the sun is practically FREE.
The recovery/ payback period for this investment can be very short depending on how much electricity your household uses.
Financial incentives are available form the government that will reduce your cost.
If your system produce more energy than you use, your utility company can buy it from you, building up a credit on your account! This is called net metering.
It will save you money on your electricity bill if you have one at all.
Solar energy does not require any fuel.
It's not affected by the supply and demand of fuel and is therefore not subjected to the ever-increasing price of gasoline.
The savings are immediate and for many years to come.
The use of solar energy indirectly reduces health costs.
2. Environmentally friendly
Solar Energy is clean, renewable (unlike gas, oil and coal) and sustainable, helping to protect our environment.
It does not pollute our air by releasing carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide or mercury into the atmosphere like many traditional forms of electrical generations does.
Therefore Solar Energy does not contribute to global warming, acid rain or smog.
It actively contributes to the decrease of harmful green house gas emissions.
It's generated where it is needed.
By not using any fuel, Solar Energy does not contribute to the cost and problems of the recovery and transportation of fuel or the storage of radioactive waste.
3. Independent/ semi-independent
Solar Energy can be utilized to offset utility-supplied energy consumption. It does not only reduce your electricity bill, but will also continue to supply your home/ business with electricity in the event of a power outage.
A Solar Energy system can operate entirely independent, not requiring a connection to a power or gas grid at all. Systems can therefore be installed in remote locations (like holiday log cabins), making it more practical and cost-effective than the supply of utility electricity to a new site.
The use of Solar Energy reduces our dependence on foreign and/or centralized sources of energy, influenced by natural disasters or international events and so contributes to a sustainable future.
Solar Energy supports local job and wealth creation, fuelling local economies.
4. Low/ no maintenance
Solar Energy systems are virtually maintenance free and will last for decades.
Once installed, there are no recurring costs.
They operate silently, have no moving parts, do not release offensive smells and do not require you to add any fuel.
More solar panels can easily be added in the future when your family's needs grow.
Solar Energy Disadvantages
The initial cost is the main disadvantage of installing a solar energy system, largely because of the high cost of the semi-conducting materials used in building one.
The cost of solar energy is also high compared to non-renewable utility-supplied electricity. As energy shortages are becoming more common, solar energy is becoming more price-competitive.
Solar panels require quite a large area for installation to achieve a good level of efficiency.
The efficiency of the system also relies on the location of the sun, although this problem can be overcome with the installation of certain components.
The production of solar energy is influenced by the presence of clouds or pollution in the air.
Similarly, no solar energy will be produced during nighttime although a battery backup system and/or net metering will solve this problem. See
www.dsireusa.org for details on how net metering allows you to save electricity and money.
As far as solar powered cars go - their slower speed might not appeal to everyone caught up in today's rat race.
【example3】
Solar Energy Advantages Disadvantages
Solar Energy Advantages
There is virtually an unlimited supply of solar energy for us to use and it is renewable. This means that our reliance on fossil fuels can be reduced in direct proportion by the amount of solar energy that we use.
Solar energy is an excellent alternative energy source because there is no pollution generated while it is being utilized so therefore each time we use solar energy we reduce pollution.
There is no cost involved with using solar power other that the cost of manufacturing the components, purchasing and installation. After your initial investment there is no further cost associated with its use.
Solar energy is flexible and expandable. This means that you can expand a solar electric system to meet your needs.
As our use of solar energy increases, our demand on fossil fuels decreases. This will extend the time before our supply of fossil fuels expires.
There is no pollution associated with the use of solar power. No greenhouse gasses so therefore, no pollution.
A solar electric system installed in a home could potentially eliminate over 30 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime.
Using solar energy is a silent process. No noise pollution.
When heating appliances use fossil fuels there is always the risk of a cracked heat exchanger, which causes CO2 poisoning. This is not a problem with solar energy use.
Solar power is the best way to supply electricity to isolated places where the cost associated with installing power lines makes it impractical.
Solar Energy Disadvantages
Potentially large areas of land are required for large-scale solar energy projects.
Not many places in the world have enough constant and intense sunshine to make commercial use of solar energy practical.
If you live in a region where there is limited amounts of sunshine it may be difficult to maintain a constant supply of solar energy.
【example4】
Solar power was originally developed to provide energy to satellites that orbit the earth. Solar powered devices have expanded dramatically in recent years. Most of us use
calculators powered by solar cells and advances in technology have made it possible to conceive of solar powered homes, cars, and many other electrically powered machinery and devices. There is no question that converting some of the world's energy requirements to solar power is in the best interest of the worldwide economy and the environment. As with any power supply, solar power has advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages to using solar power are many. Solar energy is free and will cause no pollution to the environment and there is no waste. In sunny locations, solar power is considered the best way to provide electricity to remote locations. For low-power requirements such as in battery chargers and flashlights, solar power is by far the best,
most inexpensive form of energy. There is an unlimited supply of solar energy available. There are costs involved in capturing this energy and storing it, but the world's
long-term energy needs can be at least partially filled by electricity produced from solar power.
Some of the disadvantages of solar power include the fact that reliability will depend on the amount of sunlight in any particular area. The demand for electricity throughout the world is tremendous, and until improved methods of producing and storing solar power are developed, it will be quite costly to produce adequate amounts of solar energy.
Solar power requires a means to store the electricity that is produced. Storage of this electricity is an issue and a reliable back-up means of electricity is required at the
present time. It is expensive to build solar power stations and a solar cells cost a lot in comparison to the amount of energy they will produce over their lifetime. Solar power
does not work at night, thus the need for back-up methods of providing electricity.
Solar power is a renewable source of electricity. The sun will keep shining for as long as humans inhabit the earth, so it makes sense to utilize the energy from the sun to
provide for human electricity needs. With extensive research and development, solar power can be the primary source of electricity in most countries. There is still much to learn about the economical production of solar power and storage, but in the future civilization will have
no choice other than to use solar energy as a primary source of producing electricity.
【example5】
Solar Energy
Solar Energy, radiation produced by nuclear fusion reactions deep in the Sun’s core. Solar energy travels to Earth through space in discrete packets of energy called photons (“Solar Energy”). A Photon is defined as a packet or quantum of a wave-like fluctuations in electric and magnetic fields traveling through free space or a material medium (“Oxford Paperback Encyclopedia”).
The simplest example of solar energy use is your calculator. As long as there is light in the room, the calculator will always work by converting light into useful energy. The solar cells on a calculator are called photovoltaic cells and are made of semiconductors, like silicon (“Solar Energy”).
On the side of Earth facing the Sun, a square kilometer at the outer edge of our atmosphere receives 1,400 megawatts of solar power every minute. Only half of that amount reaches Earth’s surface. The amount of light that reaches any point on the ground depends on the time of day. The total radiation power varies only slightly, about 0.2 percent every 30 years. Any considerable change would alter or end life on Earth ("Solar Energy”).
Greenhouses and solariums are common examples of the direct use of solar energy, having glass surfaces that allow the passage of visible light from the sun but slow down the escape of heat and infrared energy ("Alternative energy sources (2)").