PV Gap

Ken Said:

What are some disadvantages and advantages of solar energy?

We Answered:

Advantages:
-Harnesses the natural power of the sun.
-No emissions.
-Creates it's own energy (basically)
-Can be used to power Solar Cookers (make your own food without any wood to burn or oil [becoming popular in many African countries where cooking resources are sparse])

Disadvantages:
-Very expensive for the amount of energy received and distributed throughout the power grid.
-The technology is very young (maximizing the amount of energy harnessed, amplifying the rays to reuse and thus amplify the power of the rays, etc. etc.).
-Terribly inefficient when compared to the output of Nuclear power.

Wind and Solar power will be considered white elephants for a while--until technology starts to catch up. Nuclear power is the decent replacement for Coal/Oil/Natural Gas, at least until Wind and Solar catch up.

Solar technologies just aren't there yet.

Mathew Said:

What are some advantages / disadvantages of solar energy?

We Answered:

only advantages are not burning fossil fuels and creating less pollution.

A solar panel can generate 70 milliwatts per square inch * 5 hours = 350 milliwatt hours per day. You need about 41,000 square inches of solar panel to power a house. That's a solar panel that measures about 285 square feet (about 26 square meters). That would cost around $16,000 right now. Then, because the sun only shines part of the time, you would need to purchase a battery bank, an inverter, etc., and that often doubles the cost of the installation.
100 watts per hour purchased from the power grid would only cost about 24 cents a day right now, or $91 a year. That's why you don't see many solar houses unless they are in very remote locations. When it only costs about $100 a year to purchase power from the grid, it is hard to justify spending thousands of dollars on a solar system.

solar panels are expensive until the cost comes down it's will remain an exception more than a rule. the same applies to hybrid cars because of the high cost & weight of the batteries. They are working on these problems but so far have not found a low cost way to make them.

Linda Said:

What are the advantages of using solar energy?

We Answered:

Solar energy is renewable unlike the convential sources which would exhaust sooner rather than later. Hence most believe that solar energy is the future of the world. However one cannot always rely on them, as the perfect equipments to trap them
I think that the advantages are that it will let the world be alive in a half a century!
Advantage: renewable, non-polluting, free except for capital expenses.


OR

Solar energy is all the rage these days. With the current concerns about global warming and energy rates going up every day, it’s no wonder people are looking for alternative ways to power their lives. Solar power is one of the most efficient and affordable energy alternatives available today. Whether you are interested in solar power for economic reasons, environmental concerns, or both, this informational website is the place for you! We compare solar energy advantages & disadvantages, review the benefits of solar power, and evaluate all the ways you can use solar power, so that you will be ready to tackle the solar power projects in your home.

Juan Said:

What advantages does nuclear energy have over wind or solar energy?

We Answered:

Advantages:
1. Capacity. It can produce any amount of power. All sizes are available. Increase or decrease of power production is instantaneous.
2. Area required/ Mw is very much less compared with the other 2.
3. Not dependant on weather.
4. Clean energy like the other two.
5. Continuous supply unlike the others which are intermittent depending of wind velocity or cloud cover, day or night etc.
6. Can be located anywhere. So not unsightly.
7. Pay back period for the investment is low at today's cost. Not because the cost of installation is low but the power production is very high.
8. Nuclear fuel is available and hence it is not going to be in short supply any time now.
In every way nuclear power is the most advantageous, but the safety of operation and the perception that accidents can happen (caused by Chernobyl) and the consequence's are far reaching is keeping the growth under check.

Eleanor Said:

what are some advantages and disadvantages of solar energy?

We Answered:

Advantages:
(1) lower marginal cost for increasing energy production (you don't have to build a new coal fired facility to achieve a small increase in power production);
(2) fewer issues with greenhouse gas production
(3) distributed power production;
(4) some independence from the grid.

Disadvantages:

(1) dependency on insolation (it works better in Arizona than in the Yukon);
(2) initial installation cost for individual homeowner (but this is changing with new financing methods);
(3) sensitivity to weather
(4) it may require neighbors to be cooperative by not growing trees that block rooftop solar arrays;