Idea Transcript
Solar Energy Facts Facts about Solar Energy and Your Home Solar Energy Facts Start Here About Sitemap Get a Free Solar Cost Estimate Go Local Solar Info:
By State/City: Arizona Solar Phoenix Tucson California Solar Bay Area Central Valley Bakersfield Solar Oakland Orange County Sacramento San Diego San Francisco Santa Barbara Los Angeles Colorado Solar Denver Boulder Connecticut Solar Delaware Solar Maryland Solar Baltimore Massachusetts Solar Boston Springfield New Jersey Solar New York State Solar Albany New York City Oregon Solar Portland Pennsylvania Solar Philadelphia National Incentives Federal Solar Tax Credit Solar Power Rebates Best US Solar Panel Rebates Local Incentives New Jersey Solar Incentives SRECs Net Metering 3 Comments
Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy – Pros and Cons Category: Facts About Solar Energy If you're new here, and just looking for information about local solar installers, you can Click Here to request a free cost estimate for your home. Thanks for visiting!
Here are 5 major advantages and disadvantages / pros and cons of solar energy:
Solar Energy Disadvantages – The Cons #1. Solar Energy is expensive. Home solar can deter even the most enthusiastic customer with sticker shock. However, it’s important to be aware of the difference between gross costs (the full price of the system) and net cost (what you pay after discounts, rebates, and tax credits). While a $30,000 price tag is common and sure to close browsers, wallets, and checkbooks, the actual net cost is always much less. Here’s why: Federal Tax Credit. All residential solar systems are eligible for a 30% federal tax credit. That means you can write off some of your taxable income up to 30% of the system cost (i.e. your taxable income decreases by $10,000). While you still have to pay up front, you get this money back at the end of the year. Local Rebates. Many places in the U.S. have some sort of state or local utility rebate that you can take advantage of to save more. These are commonly a fixed dollar amount per installed watt, (i.e. $1.25 / W), and can easily knock off another 20% of the install cost. For more information see the DSIRE database. Group Discounts. Some organizations offer 15-20% off the retail price through their group discount programs. Although not active in all parts of the country it’s worth looking around to see if one is available in your area. Power Purchase Agreements. Some solar installers offer systems for a small amount ($1,000 or sometimes $0) down. Essentially the installer rents your roof space, installs solar panels, and then gives you a fixed, discount electricity rate for the next few decades. The advantage is that you don’t have to buy the system and you get instant energy bill savings. Even with all of this you’re looking at on average a $10,o00 bill for home solar though, which makes it a major impediment, and disadvantage, to home solar energy.
How much money can a solar roof save you in Illinois? Profit from your roof space: find local deals on solar in your area, eliminate your power bill, and join the solar revolution.
60604
Calculate My Savings!
#2. Solar Energy is Complicated How many of your neighbors have installed solar power? Most people don’t know anyone with solar, which means that there is a very limited amount of water-cooler type discussion about it. Most people don’t even know that if you’re installing solar within city limits it’s going to be grid-tied (there are no batteries) and you won’t be able to turn on the lights when the power goes out. So how do you learn about solar if you’re interested? Most people go straight to Google, which has a lot of good information and a lot of bad information. Or they contact a solar contractor who may provide good information but may also try to hard sell the biggest solar array they can get away with. The bottom line is: complexity maintains inertia, meaning that it’s hard to get motivated to buy something when you don’t know anything about it. If you came here looking for the basics, here is a solar energy diagram to get you started.
#3. There is a lot of Misinformation about Solar Energy “Solar doesn’t work in cloudy areas.” Then why does Germany have 6,000% more solar energy than the United States? Did you know that solar panels are actually less efficient in really hot weather like temps found in summer in the SouthWest?
“The problem with solar is that we haven’t invented the right technology yet.” Did you know that we’ve been using roughly the same panel design for 10 years and panel pricing dropped 30% in the last year? Those new super-cheap high-efficiency panels may work in the lab, but scaling to production levels is a reality-based enterprise. “Solar energy decreases our reliance on fossil fuels.” No, not really. Electricity in your home comes from a combination of coal, natural gas, nuclear, and some renewable energy sources (more: Sources of Electricity in the US). Home solar mostly decreases the use of non-renewable coal. Part of the challenge facing the solar industry is the mass-education of consumers to correct misinformation and grow the market.
#4 .It takes time and effort to learn all of this stuff. Why get motivated until you know that solar can save (or make) you thousands per year, will pay itself off in a few years, will increase the value of your home, decrease the time to sale, and ever so slightly decrease the nation’s consumption of coal while decreasing your carbon footprint? Like many other things, it’s a problem of education.
#5. The solar industry has no transparent pricing; it’s hard to know who to trust. There are a lot of companies out there looking to turn a profit, and there are fewer good, objective information sources out there. Try getting a solar quote from several installers and you might end up with a $21,000 spread. How do you know what to pay when you don’t even know what it’s supposed to cost? Keep in mind that like an industry, there are good and bad players. Just make sure you shop around before going with a bargain deal that has no point of reference.
Solar Energy Advantages – The Pros #1. Solar Energy pays for itself.
How many home improvements pay for themselves? In some areas a complete solar array can pay itself off in just 4 years. After that it’s just producing money and helping to keep the air clean.
#2. Solar Energy saves you money. Did you know that an average solar system will save $50,000 on energy bills over 25 years? If you live in an area with high electricity costs this number will be much higher.
#3. Solar Rebates pay for half. Up to 50% or more of the system cost can be taken care of by a combination of discounts, rebates, and tax credits. The best time to go solar is always now since you can’t count on these being around forever.
#4. Solar Energy reduces our consumption of dirty fuel.
If I told you that the main energy source for your home was expensive, dirty, non-renewable, and poisonous to the air, land, and sea, would you be interested in finding a new one? Many people in the U.S. don’t know that almost half of our nation’s energy supply comes from coal, and in some areas it’s as much as 80%. Coal is bad, and it’s only cheap on a very parochial set of economic criteria. Tax CO2 emissions? Now it’s more expensive. Pay for total health care cost directly link to the combustion of coal in power plants? Now it’s more expensive. Pay for total mining damage to ecosystem functions that benefit the U.S. economy? Now it’s more expensive. Want to stop using coal? Switch to renewable energy sources.
#5. In some parts of the country, home solar energy is the best investment you can make.
Looking for a new investment vehicle? Try your roof. In places like New Jersey, a state that has established a renewable energy credit market, solar is lucrative to the tune of 324% return on investment. In layman’s terms, that means if you invest $25,000 in home solar, expect to get $81,000 back in your pocket over the lifetime of the system. S&P 500 Index Funds won’t even get you close to that. [ photo credit #1 Pros ]
How much money can a solar roof save you in Illinois? Profit from your roof space: find local deals on solar in your area, eliminate your power bill, and join the solar revolution.
60604
Calculate My Savings!
Related Posts: Solar Energy Fact #1 How much Solar Energy does the Sun Produce? How Long do Solar Panels Last? Fun Facts about Solar Energy Solar Myths
3 Responses on Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy – Pros and Cons By Callum Ryan at May 26th, 2012 hi i like this site it helped me with my project thanx By gordon boerwinkle at July 11th, 2012 In all of the solar shingles information I’ve seen, this info is the most valuable. By Emily Smith at December 9th, 2012 Thank you! This helped me with a science paper.
Leave a comment on Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy – Pros and Cons Name (required) E-mail (required, never displayed) URI
Post Your Comment RSS feed for comments on this post · TrackBack URI
Get Your Dose of Solar Facts We are just entering the era of Solar Energy, but with less than 1% adoption in the United States, we have a long way to go. Solar Energy Facts is here to help you dispel myths, learn more about home solar, and decide if solar panels are right for your home. Click here for info on local installers. Subscribe to our Solar Blog Solar Energy F… Follow
Solar Energy Facts …
Like Page
196 likes
Topics and Site Index Solar Basics Solar Energy Basics Solar Myths How Much Does Solar Energy Cost? Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy Interesting Facts about Solar Energy Solar Energy Diagrams Passive Solar Energy Solar Technology How do Solar Panels Work? Solar Energy Pictures Solar Shingles Thin Film Solar Panels Solar Hot Water Different Types of Solar Panels Solar Panel Efficiency The Most Efficient Solar Panels How Solar Power Works How Long do Solar Panels Last? Solar Panel Output Solar Roofing Solar Pool Heaters Portable Solar Power Systems Solar Thermal Energy Facts Off Grid Solar Systems Solar Financials Solar Home Value Solar Economics Solar Power Rebates Solar Power Calculators Buying Solar Power Solar Energy Kits Cheap Solar Power Solar Cells For Sale Build Your Own Solar Panels Used Solar Panels Renewable Energy Alternative Energy Projects Renewable Energy Facts Wind Energy Facts Education Solar Energy Education Alternatives to Solar Energy Solar Energy Science Projects Solar Energy Jobs Solar Training Recent Posts: Solar Energy Installation Hits Record in California Enormous New 25% Tax on Imported Panels: Will Americans Pay More to Go Solar? The 4 Dumbest Solar Energy Myths 4 Takeaways From Solar Industry’s Gigantic 79% Jump Solar Shingles: All Style, No Substance? Categories Alternative Fuels (1) Buying Solar Power (4) DIY Solar (7) Education (5) Electric Cars (2) Electricity (2) Facts About Solar Energy (20) Home Solar (22) Installation (7) Local Solar Info (3) Rebates and Incentives (4) Renewable Energy (8) Science (3) Solar Energy Info (12) Solar Energy Infographics (7) Solar Energy Videos (4) Solar Financials (12) Solar Heat (4) Solar Jobs (2) Solar News (20) Solar Research (2) Solar Technology (27) State / Local Solar Info (34) Uncategorized (2) Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Rights | Terms of Use | Sitemap | Disclaimer Solar Energy Facts is powered by Wordpress with WordPress Theme Mumrik