Fossil fuels generate most of the electricity we use. Today the demand for electricity is increasing, whereas the reserves of fossil fuels are depleting every day. The demand for solar power is rising now, since it is derived from natural resource like sunlight which is available in abundance. For centuries, naturally-renewable heating such as burning timber was used extensively, but today the demand for mains electricity is much higher.
The concept of using solar power for homes and businesses has come a long way in a relatively short period of time. Taiwan has recently opened its first official fully solar-powered stadium. Solar systems that are designed to replace mains electrical power are now catching on in a big way.
Sunlight is converted to electricity by solar technology using solar cells. We can make use of the generated electricity directly or store it in containers (batteries), so that it can be used for running various applications like dishwashers, tubelights, fans, TV, computers, fridges and so on. One of the main questions that most people have is what is the cost of solar energy? Is it a high cost or low priced? Let’s look at some of the factors here.
One of the major issues with the cost of solar energy has been that it costs more than electricity that is generated by conventional means, due to capital costs. Even so, in the long run it will be cheaper. Though the sun’s energy is free, the technology to convert this into electricity is costly of course. The cost of solar power for one unit is 15 while it costs 19 units for coal. Based on the amount of power consumed, the initial cost of solar energy varies. Higher amounts needed means larger solar panels, which come at a higher price. It will cost about $14,000 for installing a good home solar water heater system. It can reduce your monthly hot water heating bill from 50 - 100%. It costs around $700 to $1000 to create a solar energy system big enough to power a computer and a few other small items.
The cost of solar power for your home depends on how much energy in kilowatt-hours (kWh) you use per month. Investing by Dollars per Watt is the best way to choose solar panels. For the last decade, the price of photovoltaic panels has fallen at a steady rate of 3-5 percent per year. However, prices may not seem all that low to you, due to the initial large sums needed. However, because in general the technology is getting better, each panel generates more watts than those of a few years ago.
Because of strong demand for large photovoltaic installations around the world, there has been a general shortage of new panels. Banks and government provide loan facilities for purchasing solar lighting and heating systems. If you are purchasing the solar panels for installing in a house, then the insurance company will provide insurance for it just like other household items. PV panels can even be seen in local newspaper classifieds now, so supply is finally becoming much more widely available.
Solar enterprises are spreading awareness about the huge potential demand for solar systems in the domestic market, and are supported by government, who help to implement low priced solar technology. The trouble is that as long as the resources are there, use of fossil fuels enables easier power delivery to communities - but soon, these resources will become scarce, compared with the fact that the sun’s energy will always be available. Vast solar farms will be built in the future, to generate low priced electricity for entire towns without releasing toxic gases and depleting the earth’s resources further.
Tags: solar power