Monday, 26 August 2013

Is Photo Voltaic Energy Worthwhile?

By Bailey Hoffnung


The use of solar power has become more widely used, than it previously was before. Manufacturing companies are throwing money into solar. The value of individual panels has dropped by roughly 70 per cent in the past couple of years. Government authorities have policies which accompany the revenue of Photovoltaic via tariffs. Regional councils are integrating alternative energy into their building codes. Financial institutions are offering 'green' financial loans particularly targeting the investment of ecologically friendly hot water systems, solar panel products, water tanks et cetera. Solar panels are increasingly becoming a natural part of the normal landscape in suburbs around the globe. It seems like everyone is getting on the solar train. Then again what is the benefit of photo voltaic energy to the ordinary home consumer? Is solar power worth it?

The answer to this question may be addressed in several ways - many ways in fact. We are going to respond to this issue from several angles: practicality, finance and also ecological friendliness.

Most people will likely be thinking about the value of solar from a monetary point of view. Will solar power pay itself off? The answer to this issue greatly relies on a number of different aspects. The key thing to consider is where you reside in the world. Where you reside influences the quantity of sunshine hours that your potential system will be exposed to. In general, the closer you live to the equator, the more hours your PV system is going to be exposed to the sun on a daily basis. Also, more electricity you system will generate in comparison to the other parts in the world. Different goverments around the world have different financial incentives such as tariffs or subsidies. Check out what your various levels of government are providing. Also, do your homework and find what the cost is to set up a system. When calculating the time it takes to pay off the original cost of the install, consider your electricity usage, as well as the forecasted increasing cost of electricity into the future. On the basis of these factors, you will get much more of an idea if solar can pay itself off in the short term, in the long term, or if even at all.

You may well be asking this question about the benefits of solar from an ecological point of view. Is the amount of embodied energy of solar less than or greater than the embodied energy of other types of power generation? My research into that question found that the energy payback for solar has reduced from the estimated twenty years back in 1975, to at present a period of less than 3 years. In recent times, there has been a speedy technological advancement in the manufacturing of Photovoltaic cells and solar panels, such that the environmental benefits of installing solar are becoming a lot more obvious.

Additionally, consumers are asking about the impact that solar could have on them from a practical point of view. For example, you might have a requirement to get electrical power to a remote spot. The substantial decrease in price to install solar power has now made it a great, viable alternative as opposed to other alternate options. Certainly in Australia, people are installing stand-alone systems since the price to set up electrical power infrastructure like power poles as well as a transformer is significant. You may well be wondering what the routine maintenance cost is once you own a system. The majority of Photovoltaic systems are power grid connected. These systems need little to no routine maintenance. When the sun is shining and the Photovoltaic system is creating adequate electricity, surplus electricity is fed back to the power grid. Some times whenever the household requires more electricity than the system can produce, the power grid delivers what is needed. The inverter as well as the meter take care of all this. Absolutely no interaction by the owner is necessary. However, remote stand-alone systems need to have a bit more attention. This might include the periodic operation of a diesel power generator when ever the batteries of a standalone system are drained because of an extended period of cloud cover.

When considering the overall important things about solar, numerous aspects must be considered. This article has only started to skim the surface, looking at several broad aspects.




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