10 Best Reasons on Why You Should Switch To Solar Energy

If you are a Nature enthusiast or generally care about preserving Nature and the Earth as a whole, then this Article will definitely get your attention.

If you are looking for ways of reducing electricity tariff this Article will definitely do that.

And if you are an inquisitive individual who generally likes researching new and exciting ideas, then continue reading on.

But first, let’s ask ourselves, what is the Origin of Solar Energy?

About 130 years ago the idea of the first solar cell like those used in solar batteries came into existence, more information on this can be gotten from.

Second, what is Solar Energy?

Solar energy can simply be defined as energy gotten from the sun through radiations from the sun, used in generating heat, inducing chemical reactions and generating electricity.

Solar power is generated freely by the use of solar panels which convert sunlight into electricity, solar panels also use the suns heat energy to heating and ventilation systems used that can be used in the home or office.

In the new world, solar energy is capable and effective in catering for all our energy needs as it a clean source of energy, renewable and eco-friendly.

The sun is the largest energy source available to man, but the intensity of sunlight received by the earth is usually very low , this is caused by a large radial spreading of radiation from a faraway sun, additional reasons for this loss includes the earth’s atmosphere and clouds which account for absorbing or scattering about 54% of the sunlight supposed to be received by the earth.

Some uses of solar power include:

• Thermal Energy – The suns energy can be harnessed for domestic uses such as cooking of food through the use of a solar oven.

Solar ovens are constructed to be very portable for ease of use.

• Electricity generation- Solar cells (Photovoltaic cells) have fully been able to provide the electricity needed for domestic and industrial purposes.

The power that can be generated from a simple photovoltaic cell is typically series connected and can provide 2 watts of power; we will be able to generate hundreds if not thousands of kilowatts of electricity when the number of cells used is increased.

Ways of converting Solar Energy into Solar Power

Solar Energy in its unharnessed form is useless to us, so solar energy needs to be transformed into solar power before it can be used for its various applications. The methods for the conversion of solar energy into solar power include:

• Director Photovoltaic (PV)- This involves the use of solar panels and the power generated is used for the supply of electricity
• Indirect or solar thermal- Thermal connectors that obtain their energy from the sun are used to attain this conversion.

Here are 10 benefits attached to switching to solar power;

1. Solar Power is a Cost Effective Source of Energy

It is an indisputable fact that whenever we look towards the sky during daytime the sun is always there and even at night the sunlight is reflected through the moon.

Although many people will argue that the initial cost of installing a solar panel is always high, I always ask this, I tell them to always try to predict the future of events before taking action.

Investing in solar can be compared to owning your own home if you have the money for it, why not buy it? I know I would, being a homeowner gives you a feeling of satisfaction and not having to worry about paying rent.

By investing in solar you don’t have to bother about paying utility providers for electricity again and this puts you a step closer to achieving the independence everyone desires from utility providers.

Solar helps to save cost since there is also never a fixed price from electricity companies and this leaves you with no choice but to pay the bill stated by them.

So going solar is definitely cost-effective.

2. Electricity All Day Every Day

I  am about to debunk one popular  being spread about the efficiency of solar power, and this is that on cloudy or rainy days the solar panel potentials will be limited but this is not true as solar panels draw solar power from daylight and not sunlight so as long as it’s a new day the panels will work.

To some parts of the world electricity, all day might not be much of a big deal this, but then to most people especially in countries with unstable and erratic power supply, this is definitely something g they have been looking forward to.

Research has shown that one-quarter of the world’s population lacks electricity.

Just think about how these people will react to the opportunity of always having electricity, no need for backup generators which in these parts of the world are not backup but their regular source of power supply.

We all know that backup generators are powered by fuels and definitely, these fuels can’t last a whole day without refueling, but by switching to solar they can have electricity all day every day.

3. Saving The Earth

By going solar you are now a superhero in your own little way, how? You may ask

Global warming is now a very big problem for mother earth.

The use of solar energy is friendly to our eco-system, reduces the consumption of natural raw materials which are normally used to generate electricity, reducing the exploration and use of these raw materials lead to success in reducing the number of harmful substances into the environment.

Solar energy is clean; it has no adverse effect on mother earth as it only requires little water to perform its function.

Solar energy preserves the habitat also because it reduces the mining of coal used to generate electricity, this is because mining renders the land useless and barren after mining and also mining can lead to the loss of the lives of the workers.

4. Make Human Health A Priority

Relating to human health since the environmental pollution is reduced greatly, the air we breathe will be cleaner and less toxic also ozone layer depletion which will have increased through natural resources emission will be reduced greatly.

A survey carried out in the US has shown that fossil fuels generate more than 60% of the electricity consumed, combustion of these fuels leads to the release of the following gases:

• Carbon monoxide- can cause nausea, headache, vomiting.
• Oxides of Nitrogen- causes damage to the lungs which is caused by an increase in ground-level ozone
• Mercury and other heavy metals- dangerous to human and animals
• Carbon dioxide- This gas is a greenhouse gas that is capable of depleting the existing ozone layer leading to exposure to harmful rays from the sun.

5. Decrease Economic Dependence Of A Country

By switching to solar power as a source of energy generation the economy of a country can be revived.

Going solar will lead to more companies going into the business of installation of this will lead to a chain of events that will lead to a source of gainful employment.

Switching to solar power will also reduce the dependence of a country on other oil exporting countries, this gives a country energy dependence as this country wouldn’t have to neglect their values and laid down laws that might not support the bad practices or hazardous practice of their suppliers.

6. Solar Power Is Damage Resistant

The absence of mechanical parts (moving parts) in a solar panel has greatly minimized the tendency of the solar panel components to fail suddenly during service.

The service life of a solar panel can last for more than 20 years, just take a moment to think about how great that will be.

Solar panels if installed by skilled installers have also proven to be stronger than regular roofs installed on top of houses and so they can withstand extreme weather conditions such as heavy rainfall, snowfall, and hail.

7. Reducing Electric Waste

Regular electricity has to be generated from large power plants and, during electricity distribution the tendency for wastage of electricity during transmission is great and this is because of the distances from the power generation grid to the end user.

The use of solar energy eliminates this wastage as the solar panels are directly mounted on top of buildings thereby reducing the distance from the point of generation to where it is to be utilized it is needed

8. The Owner Becomes The Boss

How can solar power generate income for the owner you may ask?

This can be achieved by a process known as net metering, through these process owners of solar panels will be able to get credits per KWH of electricity the solar panel can produce and this will lead to a reduction in cost.

Net metering simply will let the owner generate their own electricity thus enabling them to return some of the energy that wasn’t used back to the grid.

Laws governing net metering have been approved in many states but since it has not been fully accepted in all states it will vary all over the country.

9. Good Use Of Land

The importance of switching to solar power cannot be overemphasized, there is still a vast area of land which has not been fully optimized, most of which are far away from cities and highly commercialized areas, instead of letting this land lay fallow it can be used to add value to the economy.

Also, these fallow land which is far from industrialized and commercial centers are not as highly priced as those in the cities, this will gives lands available in the cities to be better suited for other applications.

In the UK, for example, a 40-acre solar farm was built, this solar farm has the capacity to supply 2500 homes with the power needed for domestic purposes, these acres of land have been utilized fully to generate power.

10. It’s Cool!

Cool in this sense stands for two things

Keeping the building cool

The phrase “cool” solar power is the trending source of power generation.

A study conducted by UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering has come to the conclusion that PV panels act as roofing shades making buildings to maintain the coolness.

Solar panels have the ability to absorb the rays coming from the sun and reflect them away from the roof, whereas a roof without solar panels would allow heat to penetrate through thereby leaking heat into the building.

By calculating the amount that will have rather been spent on cooling a building that had solar panels, a research team found out it was equivalent to getting about 5% -7% on the price of solar panels.

A look at the world’s first solar-powered road which was opened in Netherland was a marvel and is extremely cool as it serves as a sight attraction and it also could serve the function of powering a domestic household for about a whole year.

Conclusively with the full introduction of solar power into the 21st century, some very cool innovations have come to stay, some of which include solar pond lights.

Over the years it has been thought of how cool it will be to light up water ponds, the shadows cast by this light is always beautiful scenery, more details on this can be found in our article about solar powered fountains.

Water fountains have been known to be extremely eye-catching and are loved and admired by many, now just imagine your water fountain is powered by solar instead of the traditional pulley system which fetches water from underground wells, check out solar camping lanterns.

Thinking of going camping?

If you enjoy the occasional camping trips and the idea of solitude, or you just want to bond with family and friends, try going solar with your camping lanterns as solar lanterns hardly leave any carbon footprints. To get more information on the best solar lanterns review.