These days, it seems like everyone is on a quest for green and renewable energy. This is important for the environment, and the main method that the general public adopts to get clean energy is solar panels. Now, like everything else, installing solar panels ( or blinds with built-in solar panels) can have its advantages and disadvantages. Like anything else, there are some pros and cons that have to be considered before you can install solar panels to your home. In this post, we are going to discuss some of the pros and cons of installing solar panels. We hope this article helps you make a decision about whether to install solar panels or not.

Pros:

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Solar panels provide clean energy

Solar panels are actually very environmentally friendly. Unlike other methods of creating electricity, solar panels do not emit any dangerous gasses or emissions. They don’t cause any sort of pollution, and they don’t have any negative effect on the environment. If you are using solar panels in your home, you can be sure that you have a low carbon footprint on the earth. Solar energy, unlike other conventional energy sources, is renewable, which means that its source, the sun, will never run out. So, it is a better alternative to thermal, hydro and nuclear energy

Solar panels can save you money

Apart from being good for the environment, solar panels can also save you money once they are installed. If you have a properly functioning solar panel system, you won’t be getting any more electric bills. In fact, in some cases, people are also able to sell energy back to the grid. So, solar panels will save you a considerable amount of money in the long run

Solar panels are less noisy than other clean energy methods

Unlike some other clean energy sources like wind turbines, solar panels don’t make any noise. This is largely because they don’t have any moving parts. This makes solar panels a better option than wind turbines, and they don’t bother anyone. On the other hand, if you had a wind turbine in your backyard, you would be getting a lot of complaints. This is why wind turbines are usually built in remote areas

Solar panels can increase the value of your home

Among other benefits, solar panels can also significantly increase your home’s value, because people would love to move into a home with pre-installed solar panels, this should help you make a decision, because you now know that if you choose to move to a new place, later on, you can turn a nice profit on the panels. 

Solar power can be provided to remote areas

Solar panels are a great way to provide energy to areas which are too remote for conventional sources. This makes solar panels a great installment for an off-grid cabin or farmhouse.  

Solar panels can keep your home running in case of a blackout

Another major benefit of a solar panel system is reliability, in case of an emergency or a blackout; you will be able to power your home with ease. And solar panels can stay running for decades you don’t have to worry about repairs or replacements.

 

 

Cons:

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Solar panels can be very expensive

Where you will be able to save up on electricity bills, Solar panels do cost a lot of money to install in the first place, installing solar panels can be a considerable investment, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars. You have to buy the panels, get some batteries to save the energy, prepare you roof for the installation, remove any trees that block the sunlight and pay the contractors as well. All of this can add up to cost a lot of money 

Solar panels give a very late return on investment

Solar panels are a significant investment, and it can take up to decades to get a return on that investment. You will need to save almost 7 to even 20 years of electricity bills, in some cases, to get even on the investment of solar panels

Solar panels may not work properly in your area

The productivity of solar panels depends largely upon the area you are living in and its climate. If you are living in an area like Arizona, New Mexico or California, then you can benefit a lot from solar panels, but in areas like Ohio or Michigan solar panels aren’t a viable option. It can be hard to make a decision if you live in an area like Illinois which gets a fair share of sun and clouds. If you are thinking about installing solar panels in Illinois, consider hiring a professional to do a survey of your home and calculate the efficiency of a solar panel system

Solar panels are weather dependent

Another drawback of solar panels is that they are largely weather dependent, if you don’t get a good amount of sun for a couple of days you can run out of stored energy, this sort of inconsistency can cause problems with a solar panel system in areas that have variable weather. If you live in an exceptionally sunny area then you don’t have anything to worry about.

Solar panels require you to minimize energy consumption

You should know that you won’t be able to use some of the high energy-consuming appliances of solar energy. If you have a small solar energy system, then you won’t be able to produce the voltage required for big appliances. To make a solar panel system work properly you need to create some rules in the house and decrease your overall energy consumption. This is a good thing when you consider your impact on the environment, but it can mean losing some extra comforts like relaxing on the massage chair and using an electric heater or an electric hot tub. 

Storing solar energy costs a lot

Storing solar energy is not easy either, you need to invest in batteries and other equipment to save energy created with solar panels, batteries can cost several hundred dollars, and some can even cost more than a grand, these batteries also weigh a lot and are difficult to carry. Moreover, you will need to create a separate area to store the batteries when they are safe from water, and kids can’t get to them.