Is Solar Power the Future?

Solar power is awesome! It takes the sun, a renewable source of energy, and converts it into electricity. And not just any electricity – solar energy works best in warmer areas such as California, where sunlight provides more than enough energy to support the state’s massive appetite for electricity. Although solar has been around for decades, only recently has it been cost-effective to use. Solar power is a great alternative for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint and do something good for the environment.

Solar energy used to only be able to power small items such as calculators or streetlights, but recently it has been used to provide electricity in homes all over the United States. In fact, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, in 2007 there were only about 30,000 homes that relied on solar power. In 2015, however, that number ballooned to more than a million. People all over the country are installing solar panels on their roofs and using them to lower energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint.

Disadvantages

Of course, there are some disadvantages to solar power. For example, although the sun is a renewable source of energy, the equipment needed to harness its energy is not. The photovoltaic cells used to convert sunlight into electricity also need to be replaced every few years. Luckily, these costs are becoming less and less a factor in a household’s decision to install solar panels.

Another issue with solar power is that it is not available at night when the sun isn’t shining, which leaves households dependent on an outside source for electricity during those times. To solve this problem, some homeowners invest in batteries to store energy for use during non-sunny hours. However, while these batteries are currently expensive, they are becoming more affordable all the time.

Despite these disadvantages, it looks like solar power is here to stay. Solar power provides clean energy that can be used by everyone without any harmful or debilitating effects on the environment. So it appears that solar energy has a bright future ahead of it.