Solar Power For Your Home

Fuel Sourcing

Fossil fuels are not green sources of energy. In fact, they contain high amounts of carbon and have been blamed for being the main contributor to global warming. Fossil fuels are a limited and non-renewable energy sources. This means that there is a finite amount of fossil fuels available and the reserves are not replenished naturally.

Energy from the sun is infinite and free. It can be harnessed and turned into power anywhere a solar panel can be mounted.

Power Generation

When fossil fuels are burned, energy is generated, and this energy is usually used to generate steam, which in turn turns a turbine, which generates usable electricity. Fossil fuels are current cheaper and more reliable than solar power, but unlike solar panels, which are clean and utilize virtually limitless renewable energy, the burning of fossil fuels pollutes the atmosphere, degrades local environments, cause health and smog problems, and fossil fuels are in limited supply. Fossil Fuel reserves are expected to run dry some time in the next century. Solar panels are a viable solution to meet the world’s energy needs during, and after, the impending energy crises brought on by the depletion of oil, coal, and natural gas.

Cost of Electricity

Because solar power is generated in a completely different way from fossil fuel-based power, it’s a little complicated to compare the price. Fossil-fuel plants are not as expensive per megawatt as solar power systems, but you’ll need to pay for the fuel as long as you use the plant. Solar power costs more up front, but the fuel is free, and the maintenance costs are much lower than for fossil fuel plants. Putting the factors together, the basic costs of solar power generation are about two to three times the cost of fossil fuel plants. When you add in distribution costs and specific local variables, there are some places where solar energy is already as cheap as fossil-fuel energy and solar costs are likely to fall more than fossil fuel costs.

The Human Element

Fossil fuels are a limited resource. The gallon of gasoline you burned took millions of years to make, but you used it in just a few minutes. So when you burn a gallon of gas, there’s one less gallon to go around. Solar energy is at least for the next 4 or 5 billion years a renewable resource.

No matter what you believe about how much coal, natural gas and petroleum remains buried in the Earth, those fossil fuels will run out far earlier than the life of the sun.