what are some cons aboat solar power?

Question

hi,
I'm doing a science project and i was wondering if anyone knows what are some cons aboat solar power.If you know some stuff please say it right now i have only 2 days.
by the way can u say the easy ones please????????

Answer 1

First off, they only work when there is light. Cloudy days they do not produce the full amount of electricity they are rated for.



Since the electricity can not be stored, batteries are needed to have electricity at night, which cost about as much as the solar system, and add to the maintenance costs.



Solar panels begin to loose efficiency the minute they are exposed to light. At the end of twenty years, they produce very little power. The average output over twenty years is about 60% of the rated power output.



The panels need to be washed and cleaned of debris and dust weekly and sometimes daily to get the full power output possible. Light dust can drop efficiency by about 10% or more.



The average mean cost for having solar power not including batteries, is about 18 times the cost of using the conventional electric grid, at about $1.80 per KWH. Solar is only cost effective when used in remote areas where it is too expensive to run electric transmission lines. If batteries are used, the average cost is about 31 to 36 times the cost of using the grid, about at $3.10 to $3.60 per KWH. Using the grid, the average cost is about $0.10 per KWH.



If solar panels are used in areas with tornadoes or hurricanes, flying debris damages the panels, and they need to be replaced.



I am a contractor since 1978, and even at wholesale cost and installing them myself, solar electricity is too expensive.

Answer 2

Usually cost is a big factor, rarely can you get an installation done with the output capacity that can power your house without spending 20,000 USD. Size of the panels themselves. Some people find them unattractive, I'm rather neutral towards the look of them personally. As well you will usually need a battery farm which hold a charge so you can have power while there's no Sun out. These battery farms can be large and batteries only get a few years out of them before they need replacement. As well not having sunlight for many days could be a big factor, especially if you're not connected to an energy grid as you will be outta luck.



Though you could dive deeper, because solar voltaic cells are not the only type of solar energy that can be harvested. One of the more innovative is called a dish stirling which is uses a large parabolic mirror to to focus all the sunlight from maybe 100-XXXX(infinite) sq ft and focuses that sunlight into a 1-3" area(sometimes even smaller) where the temperatures can reach 2-4000 degrees to power a stirling engine (an engine which moves by heat) to drive a generator. These can be very high output machines but usually require complicated setups that track the sunlight and use quite a bit of space as well as cost of them.



Sorry I know that last part was a little above and beyond but in case you wanted more info :)

Answer 3

Wear-out used to be a problem with amorphous panels, but modern crystalline silicon panels are durable. The standard warranty in the industry is for the panel to still be delivering 80% of its power after 25 years. Here is an example http://am.suntech-power.com/en/products-and-services.html there is the summary at the left, but you can go to the actual text of the warranty to see. The array on our house has been up for 5 years, without measurable decline.



Cost used to be a problem, and still is in areas that don't get much sun. However, the cost of panels has fallen dramatically, and is now about 90 cents per watt at the commercial level. Add the installation cost to that, and the cost per kWh ends up being maybe 15 cents per kWh before incentives, less after. But that's in a good area. In an area without much sun, it could be several times that. The array we have would ring in at about 7 cents per kWh today, but that was a self-install - we didn't pay for labor.



The main issue for using solar as a primary electricity source is that the sun is intermittent. I can't say how much sun any particular spot will get two weeks on a given day, although I could make a pretty good guess for the desert. Homeowners solve this issue by installing solar in tandem with the power company, in an arrangement that needs no batteries. If the house needs more power than the array produces, that power is drawn from the power company. If the array produces more than that house needs, the excess is fed back into the power company, usually sold. That also covers for day and night. However, it would not work if everyone did it, with the power grid set up the way it is today. The arrangement counts on there always being someone to buy the excess electricity at any time. If everybody was solar, then nobody might be buying during the day, and everybody at night.

Answer 4

by means of fact that some areas stay cloudy for many hours of the 300 and sixty 5 days, it may be difficult for image voltaic potential to maintain the abode powered up. In Florida, it would not be a undertaking apart from for the time of hurricanes. In areas like Chicago, and long island that get a number of snow, it may be difficult by means of fact of each and all the cloud disguise. decrease back up potential continues to be needed. it relatively is like Wind potential. areas the place the wind would not blow that plenty, nevertheless choose a decrease back up potential source. the place some areas get a number of wind, it may artwork properly.

Answer 5

Dependent on light so some seasons or locations in the world are not suited.



Expensive to install.



Not always practical due to space needed.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

At this time it is very expensive and the panels take a lot of room making it hard to use in citys with limited space.It also requires large battery's to store power for night time.

Answer 8

Dk