Whether your motivations for going solar are economic, environmental, or personal, solar has something for everyone. There are many advantages that solar energy has to offer over traditional sources of energy like coal and oil:
1- Drastically reduce or even eliminate your electric bills
Whether you’re a homeowner, business, or nonprofit, electricity costs can make up a large portion of your monthly expenses. With a solar panel system, you’ll generate free power for your system’s entire 25+ year life-cycle. Even if you don’t produce 100 percent of the energy you consume, solar will reduce your utility bills and you’ll still save a lot of money.
2- Protect against rising energy costs
In the past ten years, residential electricity prices have gone up by an average of three percent annually. By investing in a solar energy system now, you can fix your electricity rate and protect against unpredictable increases in electricity costs. If you’re a business or homeowner with fluctuating cash flow, going solar also helps you better forecast and manage your expenses.
3- Non-polluting/Renewable Energy
Solar energy is an alternative for fossil fuels as it is a non-polluting, clean, reliable and renewable source of energy. It does not pollute the air by releasing harmful gases like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide or sulfur oxide. So, the risk of damage to the environment is reduced. Solar energy also does not require any fuel to produce electricity and thus avoids the problem of transportation of fuel or storage of radioactive waste.
Solar energy is also a renewable source of energy as it can be used to produce electricity as long as the sun exists. Sunlight is available everywhere on Earth. This energy can be harnessed by installing solar panels that can reduce our dependence on other countries for consistent supply of coal to produce electricity. Although solar energy cannot be produced during night and cloudy days but it can be used again and again during day time. Solar energy from sun is consistent and constant power source and can be used to harness power even in remote locations.
4- Low maintenance & Easy installation
Solar cells generally don’t require much maintenance and run for a long time. More solar panels can be added from time to time when needed. Although, initial cost of solar panels is steep, there are practically zero recurring costs. Initial cost that is incurred once can be recovered in the long run that range from 5 years – 12 years. Apart from this, solar panels do not create any noise or release any toxic substances.
Solar panels are easy to install and do not require any wires, cords or power sources. Unlike wind and geothermal power stations which require them to be tied with drilling machines, solar panels do not require them and can be installed on the rooftops which means no new space is needed and each home or business user can generate their own electricity. Moreover, they can be installed in distributed fashion which means no large scale installations are needed.
With the advancement in the technology and increase in the production, the cost of solar panels has come down slightly. Areas where cost of electricity is high, payback times can be even lower.
5- Can be used in remote locations
Solar energy can be of great boon in areas which have no access to power cables. It works great in remote areas whereas running power lines would be difficult or costly. Solar panels can set up to produce solar energy there as long as it receives the sunlight.
They make no noise at all and there are no moving parts in solar cells which make them long lasting and require very little maintenance. Solar energy provides cost effective solutions to energy problems where there is no electricity at all.
6- Stay competitive & Demonstrate your commitment to sustainability
Companies quickly are realizing the social and economic benefits of adopting solar power. As early adopters pull ahead of the competition, many companies are exploring solar power as a way to keep up.
Sustainability and corporate social responsibility are important components of an organization’s culture and values. They also produce bottom line results. Increasingly, consumers and communities are recognizing and rewarding businesses that choose to operate responsibly. Businesses are finding that “green” credentials are a powerful driver of consumer purchasing decisions, creating goodwill and improving business results.