There are a lot of myths out there about solar energy. Some people think that it’s too expensive, that it’s not reliable, or that it’s not worth the investment.
But solar energy is a great option for many homeowners and can save you a lot of money in the long run. Here are eight of the most common solar energy myths debunked.
Solar energy is expensive.
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Electricity generated by solar power runs the cost of production into its price, making it one of the most affordable ways to reduce your carbon footprint and limit your contributions to climate change.
Solar technology remains relatively inexpensive compared to other renewable energy sources, such as wind or hydropower.
And the costs are coming down all the time. Labor costs have increased far more quickly in recent years than equipment costs.
Thus solar energy becomes even cheaper as time goes on. Within a few years, you can expect significant cost drops. When that happens, more people will include solar in their energy choices.
Moreover, governments worldwide offer financial incentives to boost the efficiency of individual systems and encourage investment in new technologies.
For example, many countries provide tax breaks or discounts on electricity bills to drive away fossil fuel generation.
Concentrated solar power has already exceeded global market prices for several components (concentrators, valves, transport), thus reducing system costs further.
With world-leading research and development efforts, we estimate the cost per megawatt capacity will be close to $3 once mainstream technology is available.
You have to mine to create
Many people believe that because they hear about solar in an educational context, they understand that using solar energy requires mining gold or other minerals. While some companies extract resources like copper and silver from mined materials, this does not mean that your local rooftop is covered in valuable metals.
Mostly, it’s just roofing metal.
But even if you were to replace your roof with metal completely, that wouldn’t necessarily be beneficial. Metal is very porous, so it would need to be heavily insulated before being suitable for living structures.
Furthermore, once the insulation was removed, the weight of the newly placed metal ceiling would cause the floor below to buckle, causing the building to cave in on itself.
Sunlight is not useful.
There’s no doubt that sunlight has a major role in solar energy, but it can take many forms.
While most people tend to focus on the light produced by sunshine, the importance of moonlight, foggy days, and nights are less talked about. Read 9 Facts About Solar Switch You Probably Didn’t Know.
These are all important sources of illumination for the planet, helping to keep us aware of nighttime without sacrificing daytime performance.
The UN has established that global security depends on preserving optimum environmental quality around the clock.
We must preserve the night sky and understand how solar energy works. Only then will our population growth rate decrease, and we’ll have fewer problems with climate change, pollution, and other concerns.
It’s too bright
Many believe solar panels are expensive because they have to be so rugged. After all, it takes a lot of money to protect fragile electronic components from rainfall.
And while water protection is indeed important for these devices, you may not need to invest quite as much in waterproofing your electronics if you choose to go with solar energy instead.
That’s because most smartphone batteries are now equipped to handle low-pressure drips without a problem.
If yours isn’t, third-party replacements are offering just that.
Research suggests that just a few millimeters of water can significantly reduce the battery life of any device. Whether this applies to your phone or laptop depends on your use.
If you want to take them underwater, here are some useful tips on how to do it safely. However, we also recommend that you keep a close eye on how many times you run apps vs. how long you wait between charges.
The more frequently you open apps, the more likely it is to drain something quickly.
Even when you don’t have another charge available, keeping apps closed can dramatically increase their time upfront before your first use.
It’s dirty
People are concerned about the environmental impact of solar energy. They believe it is not clean and that it pollutes the water we drink.
This misconception has led to resistance to adopting solar power. If you ask people why they don’t use solar energy, they will say, “Well, I heard it doesn’t work very well and costs too much.”
It would help if you let them know that modern solar panels have improved since they were first built. Also, as technology changes, so do how we produce energy from our sun.
We can now use silicon derived from oil or coal to create electricity. This type of solar panel is called an integrated system.
With this knowledge, people realize that while there may be some cost associated with installing such a system, it is relatively small compared to the total price of ownership of a house + solar panel system.
Finally, we need to stop believing the media’s biased claims. Most reports come out after the event has been reported, which is why they are called news stories.
The issue here isn’t necessarily that the media lies — it’s that they tell one story and then report another article featuring multiple sources explaining that the truth is not what they said initially.
Cost estimates depend on many factors, including location, quality of equipment, future maintenance, etc.
It’s everywhere
Did you know that there is a solar panel on every roof in America? That’s because it sounds good!
People love to believe they are helping by telling others that their rooftop solar system is “good for the environment.”
Unfortunately, this claim is not true. Many people have been led to believe this, so much so that I called it “the biggest lie.”
That’s why we need to bust some common myths about solar energy. Let’s look at the top ten things you probably think are facts but misconceptions.
It’s free
Even with government subsidies, solar energy is still very expensive. For example, it costs around $3 per watt to install solar panels, roughly their cost in Europe.
However, you only pay for what you use-and in some cases, that’s less than $1 per kilowatt hour.
This makes solar energy more affordable than ever before. You can also offset some of your environmental impacts by selling your excess power back to your utility.
Furthermore, any time you trade money out of your pocket into an investment, such as buying a house or joining a solar community program, you use something other people paid for (like electricity).
Money spent on installing solar panels will eventually compensate for itself through lower bills. If you live in a place with enough sun, consider getting solar too.
It’s sustainable
Many believe solar energy is “green” because it’s natural, renewable, and comes from recycling. However, there are many disadvantages to using solar power.
First, while sun charging your battery may seem like a straightforward solution, it is not always the best. If you need high efficiency, you must use large batteries, which means bigger devices.
Second, we still depend on raw materials derived from plants or recycled metals. We are no better than chimney sweepers, except now we have added window cleansers as part of our cr*p stack.
Third, photovoltaics (PV) are only suitable for certain areas of work and home usage.
PV is difficult to apply in widespread occurrences such as urban environments, military operations, space exploration, wilderness survival, and other situations where an inexpensive energy source is needed.
Finally, even with all of these drawbacks, I’m not sure whether you can fully call this type of power source green.
