Why aren't there more solar powered things?

Answer 1

b/c people are stupid

Answer 2

1. Solar cells are expensive.
2. Solar cells do not provide much power. Tens of thousands of acres of solar cells would be needed to equal one ordinary coal fired power station.
3. The already poor power production is reduced by clouds in the sky (unpredictable) and by dust on the cells.
4. They do not work at night so a power station is needed to provide power at night. Look up "spinning reserve".
5. They produce DC which would have to be transformed to AC with some losses so that it can be transmitted over even moderate distances. Loss in transmission even with high voltage 3-phase AC is the reason that power stations are near centres of population.
6. My opinion? Solar cells are good for isolated farmhouses and very small villages to provide electricity at a high capital cost. The running cost is not zero, storage batteries have to be replaced every few years. For larger installations, they are basically a joke.

You will rarely or never hear the proponents of solar cells admit to the amount of land they would have to cover to equal the average coal fired station.

Look up the efficiency of solar cells, the average amount of solar energy falling on the Earth's surface per square meter and the power output of an average coal fired plant. Then do the arithmetic.

On the other hand solar hot water sytems are not a joke. Unfortunately most of the cheaper types are unsuitable for use in areas where temperatures drop even a little below freezing. Winter nights here rarely go below minus 6 centigrade. But the makers of solar hot water systems refuse to sell into the local market because of the problems they have with frozen and burst collector tubes. However more expensive models with heat pumps and anti-freeze filled collectors work.

Answer 3

Solar power hasn't been around for very long, so the panels we have access to at the moment aren't very efficient, and are quite expensive. Once more people start using them, there will be more money to develop them and they will become more efficient, so more people will use them etc.
It's just a case of waiting for things to turn around. The price of oil is still trending upwards, so it can't be too long before solar becomes an economic option.

Answer 4

Solar cells are expensive and require a relatively large surface area to generate a small amount of power.

Answer 5

there are many reasons...the first of which being price of the photovoltaic cells (the solar panels), secondly fossil fuels are highly subsidised within the U.S., and lastly people feel that it is a waste of space for other, more intensive methods of energy...hopefully people will realize that solar energy is a viable, economically smart choice

Answer 6

Good question, no Very Good Question -
I bought solar powered lights, and they only worked outside for a few months...by that time I threw out the receipt.

I don't think they work as well as they should.

So would you please keep studying, and find some that actually work and, please design new ones! Pretty please...!

Answer 7

Because there are so many cheaper ways to power things.

Answer 8

good qestion: i guess because it seems more logic to people to use eletric things so they don't waste their presious time with the sun for something to light up. and it might cost more money.

Answer 9

Because it is dark!