what are the pro and cons of solar power?

Question

If we have a power source, 24 hours a day that's slated to last at least a billion more years or so, why is this not our main source of energy?

We have been using solar panels (photovoltaic cells) to harness the photons but the panel are limited in their capacity. Isn't it quite possible that we have been using the wrong approach to capture the sun's rays all along?

Answer 1

The problem is harnessing the power. We don't have solar panels that can transform 100% of insolation into usable commercial power, so solar energy cannot yet be used in the way you've described. Once the technology improves to the point that solar energy can be harnessed and sold for a profit, it will start to happen.

The pros of solar power are that it is non-polluting, has an ultimate source that is free of charge, and can be used on a small scale by private individuals. The cons are that a private individual's power generation is unlikely to satisfy his or her energy requirements in many cases (locations where there is not much sun and heating requirements are high due to cold, for example), the equipment used for power generation can be expensive and is not highly efficient, and the storage capacity of solar cells is insufficient to offset unlit periods such as nighttime or cloudy days.

Your concern about the validity of solar cells as the method for harnessing solar power is not without merit. But even though photovoltaic cells are not yet effective enough for wide-scale usage, I believe that they are fundamentally a viable technology. They just need refinement. Consider the automobile. When Bertha Benz made the first long-distance trip by car in 1888, from Mannheim to Pforzheim in Germany, it took her from dawn to dusk to drive the sixty miles. She had to stop numerous times to refuel and to improvise repairs from her possessions, using a hairpin and her own garter! The fundamental technology of the automobile was refined and developed over many years, and now a trip of this length can be completed by any casual driver in an hour without visiting a gas station or repair garage , and a racecar driver travels equivalent distances in about 20 minutes (though the vehicle does require maintenance in this case). This demonstrates that it is normal for a nascent technology to exhibit shortcomings that are eventually overcome through research and development.

Answer 2

well, its not 24/7 cuz the suns only up for so long, the way they fix that is they put batteries on so that the energy is stored until night.

the pros are that you dont have to pay for your own electricity and there's no contribution to air pollution

the downside to the whole deal is that your energy either has to be all alternative sources or none. alternative sources such as solar panels, windmills, etc. create DC (direct current) as opposed to AC (alternating current) typically found powering buildings. the DC energy is stored in a battery, and as anyone with a battery powered device knows, the batteries only have so much energy in them. granted, that energy is restored by the panels and windmills, but you have to make sure your power use is lower than your limited energy production.

i agree, solar is a good way to go, but other people dont care enough...it's easier to just have the electric companies supply, and so thats how people go.

Answer 3

PROs
-Renewable
-More efficient by the day (by comparison solar energy captures more solar radiation than plants in photosynthesis, which is 2%)
-Cheaper by the year. Especially PV cells.
-A passive solar plant would require no workings except for occasional maintenances
-The only pollution is that of producing the parts.
CONs
-Lack of innovation. The new generation power towers might take up less space then troughs but are not efficient.
-Solar cells produce DC which must be converted to AC when used in currently existing distribution grids. This incurs an energy loss of 4-12% (Wikipedia)
-The amount of land needed for solar power, on an industrial scle, is large.

Answer 4

Problem with solar is that it is only available when the sun shines, so at night and on dull days it's not available. This is addressed in solar powered houses by using large batteries, however this impracticable in normal power grids.
The solution, I feel is a combination of technologies. Solar, wind, wave for most applications and some other type, such as hydro or earth heat thermal for base loads.
Problem is that there isn't any profit in supplying materials for these technologies, so there's not the research or commitment.
Because there's money in supplying uranium or coal, that's where the $ are.

Answer 5

The advantage is that the fuel supply is free basically forever.

The main disadvantage is that it is NOT available 24 hours a day. It is available, on average, only 12 hours a day, and in winter at latitudes where most of the population lives it is available even less than that. So storage of power for use at night is a BIG problem. And the energy is quite dilute. You need a large collecting area to make the same amount of power as a fossil fuel powered generator taking up much less space.

Answer 6

Some issues with current silicon-based solar panels are that they are expensive and are not that efficient. Nature has been capturing the sun's energy for billions of years via photosynthesis. If we are able to develop a way to produce electricity via photosynthesis, then that may help with the efficiency (and maybe the cost) of using solar power.

Answer 7

I think the problem goes like this..

In order to power the country, given the current technology, we'd have to cover the entire southwest with solar panels.

In time technology will improve and it will become more efficient. But until then.. we should be pumping money into more hydro and wind power.

Answer 8

Mainly because the power sources we use now I.E: uranium electricity etc are ran by large multi-national corporations and they have the monopoly in the market and are highly competitive.

Answer 9

Pros-
Can be used in rural areas.
Does not contribute to air polution.
Its resource is natural; the sun.

Cons-
Its expensive. (materials used)
The sun being its natural resource could be limited at times in some areas.

Answer 10

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