Advantages of Solar Energy

Lets look at the advantages of solar energy systems. Every day, the sun shines and sends to Earth an abundant supply of clean, natural and renewable energy. In fact, one single hour's worth of sunshine can power our entire world for a whole year!!

All we need to do is figure out how to affordably harness this energy, which is a tremendously worthwhile endeavor because of the enormous benefit to us all.

As we all know, energy prices are volatile and most likely will continue to be so in the future. In the United States, we have gone from $10 per barrel oil and $1.00 per gasoline in the early 1990s to a high of $147 per barrel oil and in some states almost $5.00 per gallon gasoline more recently.

Heating oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuels follow the up and down trends of the petroleum markets. Since petroleum fuels are in dwindling supply, and are not a long term, sustainable energy source, it only makes sense to look into a source of energy that is less volatile and somewhat more reliable.

It's also important to know that many electricity-producing industries use fossil fuels to produce the electricity to sell to you. Many state and federal rules keep these industries from raising and dropping their rates immediately, so often times we do not see a dramatic change in our electricity rates when compared to what the oil markets are doing. However, due to the expectation that energy costs will eventually go back up again, some states are now allowing an increase in electricity rates.

You may be among the fortunate few who are paying only 8 cents per kilowatt-hour now, but there are those in many other states who are now paying 12-15 cents per kWh or who will soon be paying that rate. There has been talk in some parts of the electricity-producing industry that an eventual rate of 25-30 cents per kWh will be needed just so they can maintain their ability to deliver that power to us.

Imagine going from paying an average household electric bill of $150 a month to almost $500 a month for the same energy! It is becoming more obvious to individuals that there must be a two-tiered approach to energy production, including energy conservation and the use of some form of renewable energy. The advantages of solar energy at this point seem to be the best choice for a sustainable and renewable energy source for most households.

Advantages of Solar Energy

Solar energy itself is completely free

It's renewable – it will never go away or deplete itself, meaning we can never use it up

No harmful by-products or pollution produced by solar

Saves money in the long term because you'll enjoy savings long after the initial investment is recouped

It's a quiet and non-intrusive energy source – no sound produced by solar panels

Maintenance of the home system for solar is practically non-existent

Durable system that will last 25, 30 or more years

Kind to the environment – future generations will enjoy a cleaner and healthier Earth

Your power company may end up paying you for the excess power you produce – you make money rather than spend it to power your home

Government programs at the city, state, and federal level exist to help homeowners defray the cost of installing a solar home system and make it affordable

Knowledge about harnessing the sun's energy and using it to power our world is increasing every day. New and exciting information is always coming to the surface, which means the possibility of solar energy becoming more affordable is truly possible as we learn more and more.

What's One of the Greatest Advantages of Solar Energy?

We could become independent as a country! Imagine our government not having to bow to the demands of oil-producing countries because we no longer needed that energy source. It's an amazing thought, but if we put everything we have into transforming our energy sources from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, we could actually become independent as a country. We can hope for this!

Home owners can become more independent from the power companies too by installing solar panels on their home and using as much of the renewable energy produced by the sun as possible to power everything inside their house. It may not be possible for some areas of the country to rely solely on solar because the sun doesn't shine every day, but they could enjoy more freedom than they currently do if they utilized solar energy more often.

We can have hope for the future if we begin to look at solar energy seriously as a way to keep our environment clean while still enjoying the creature comforts of life.

Resources
Solar Power-Advantages and Disadvantages
5 Great Advantages Of Solar Energy

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