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PV SOLAR ENERGY PROS
- The operation of photovoltaic systems does not produce any toxic-gas emissions, so-called greenhouse gases, or noise. For comparison, the conventional production of electricity from coal releases 1.5 pounds of carbon dioxide for each kilowatt-hour.
- No moving parts are required unless you decided to install a solar tracker
- The use of solar energy reduces our dependence on foreign oil. This in turn reduces the amount of money
flowing to radical and totalitarian regimes of some oil exporters.
- Photovoltaic technology is versatile- it can be used in broad range of applications from small calculators to power plants.
- PV has ability to generate electricity in remote locations that are not linked to a grid, as well as in space.
- PV has an ability to provide backup power when the grid fails.
- Periods of maximum sunlight are usually correlated with periods of maximum energy usage.
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PV SOLAR ENERGY CONS
- High capital cost,
currently about $7,000 per kilowatt of peak power installed (before rebates and other incentives).
- Solar energy requires large surface areas for useful amounts of electricity generation. Depending on the PV panel efficiency, you may need from 6 to 12 square meters (65 to 129 square feet) per kilowatt of peak capacity in non-concentrated light. At an average "insolation" of 4.5 sun-hours, you may get total of 0.37 to 0.75 kW-hours per sq.meter during an entire day. This would be under 16 to 32 watt per sq.m averaged over a 24-hour period. For more details see solar power facts.
- Because the amount of sunlight varies with the time of day and weather conditions, solar systems
require either to store in batteries large amounts of the produced energy or to supplement it with other sources.
- The manufacture of PV modules uses some hazardous materials (such as cadmium and lead). This can present health
and safety hazards, if proper precautions during manufacturing, installation and recycling are not taken.
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In conclusion, solar powered electricity of course is environmentally more friendly than electricity produced from coal and other fossil fuels. It also reduces our dependence on oil imports, although currently sunlight is used mainly in electricity generation, while oil-- in transportation. On a negative side, at present, non-concentrated photovoltaic generators are not quite cost competitive. While rebates and incentives can often offset more than half of the installation cost, for the society in general this cost may never be recovered. Currently, among sunlight applications, concentrated solar power as well as the thermal systems seem to be more economically feasible solar energy solutions than photovoltaic-based electricity.
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