Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Power (general)

Advantages of solar power:

1) Unlimited energy supply - The sun will maintain its current output for several billion years. For all practical intents and purposes it is an unlimited power source.

2) Free Energy - Solar energy is free. No transport costs or tax levys. Simply capture and use.

3) 100% Ecologically Clean Energy - no pollutants or carcinogens generated from collecting the light or heat to produce electricity or steam. Even cleaner than geo-thermal (and quiteter).

4) Scaleable - additional units will produce proportional energy increases. No losses due to inefficiencies of scale.

5) Govt. Financial Assisance - Federal and state administrations and utility companies highly favor residential installations, offering favorable tax treatment, rebates and even power rate discounts to solar households.

6) Flexible - can be used in conjunction with other renewable (wind/hydro) or non-renewable (coal/natural gas) energy supply systems, as the main supply or in supplementation.

7) Silent Production - The generation of PV electrical and Thermal Solar energy is noiseless.

8) Very Low Maintenance - few moving parts to replace for most residential installations..

9) Very low manufacturing pollution - aggressive recycling of PV manufacturing materials hold polluting production wastes in check.

Disadvantages of Solar Power:

1) PV Technology is relatively expensive - a professional residential installation can easily cost in the area of 20 - 50k or more (not including rebates or incentive programs). ROI (break even) require a number of years (7 - 20 avg.). Solar thermal systems are much less expensive.

2) Low per sq. ft. power generation density - PV Technology has relatively low sunlight to electricity conversion efficiency (7 - 25%) therefore substantial square footage is required to generate meaningful amounts of electrical power. Solar thermal is somewhat more efficient.

3) Intermittent power source - a solar power station will only generate energy from its cells and collectors while sunlight is striking them. This requires the added expense of energy storage facilities (batteries, hotwater tanks, etc..) for off-grid applications. Batteries can be hazrdous.

4) Site must have substantial Solar exposure - dubious cost effectiveness in locations of limited sunlight.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Power (situational)

1) A solar power system can substantially increase the value of real property (advantage)

2) Some states exempt the value of a solar installation from property tax assessment (advantage)

3) Not attractive as an investment to apartment tenants or other "non-owners" of real estate as taxing authorities generally require an ownership interest for beneficial tax treatment (disadvantage)

4) Very low pollution industry - aggressive recycling of manufacturing materials hold PV production pollution in check (advantage)

5) Cadmium Telluride (thin film) PV technology is inexpensive, but highly toxic in nature. PV modules require very careful handling plus they have a relatively low (7%) conversion efficiency (disadvantage)