Solar energy pros and cons in 2022

Source: https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-solar-energy

Looking at the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy from a homeowner’s perspective is an important step in the research process when considering installing solar panels for your home. 

Here are a few that come up most often:

Main solar energy pros and cons

Pros of solar energy	Cons of solar energy
Reduces electric bill	High upfront cost
Insurance against rising power prices	Intermittent energy source
Solar is cheaper than ever	Manufacturing panels has some impact on the environment
See a return on your investment	Requires space
Environmentally friendly	Not the best if you’re planning to move
Energy independence

The argument for the average American homeowner to install solar panels for their home is now better than it has ever been, as the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these solar energy pros and cons.

Advantages of solar energy

1. Reduces your electric bill 

One of the biggest benefits of solar panels is that they can provide you with substantial savings on your electric bill. Many states require utilities to offer net metering, which allows homeowners to offset their electric costs with the energy their solar panels produce. 

They can then sell that excess energy to the utility. This will usually be added to their electric bills as a credit that can then be used to offset future electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as... costs. 

In many states, adding solar panels to your home can bring in electric bill savings of well over $1,000 per year. Residents of California who go solar save an average of $99,181 over the lifetime of their solar system!

2. Insurance against rising power prices 

One thing most homeowners know is that electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as... keeps getting more expensive. The price of electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as... has increased steadily over the past 10 years, with an average increase of about $0.2 per year. The cost of electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as... will continue to rise into the future, meaning your electric bill will continue to go up too. 

Solar panels protect you from these rising electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as... costs. Because you are producing your own energy, you don’t have to buy that expensive power from your utility. So, rising electric costs are a worry of the past! In fact, rising prices might actually be a good thing when you install solar. 

For example, let’s say your utility charges 12 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as.... That means with net metering, your utility would pay you 12 cents for each excess kWh of electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as... your solar panels produce and send to the gridSee electrical grid.. 

If your utility raises its electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as... price to 13 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as..., that means the power you send to the gridSee electrical grid. would also be worth 13 cents. 

So, net metering is saving you more money each time your utility company raises its prices!

3. Solar is cheaper than ever 

While electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as... prices continue to get more expensive, the cost of solar has continued to fall. Solar is now cheaper than ever; in fact, the cost has fallen over 70% in the past decade. These low prices make solar more accessible to more homeowners than ever before. 

Installing solar can be even cheaper when you take advantage of solar incentives. For example, if you install a solar system before the end of 2022, you could be eligible for the 26% federal tax credit. 

This tax credit is equal to 26% of the total cost of your solar system and is applied to your income taxes. In addition to the federal tax credit, there are many other solar incentives offered locally. 

4. See a return on your investment 

Solar panels not only eliminate your electric bill, they can also be a source of extra income. As we mentioned before, net metering allows you to earn money by selling excess power your solar panels generate to your utility. 

Some states have other performance-based incentives, like Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs), that have the potential to earn you hundreds of dollars a year, depending on where you live. 

The money you earn from net metering, combined with your electric bill savings and other incentives, goes towards paying back the cost of your system. In areas that have all of these incentives, the payback time for a solar panelSee photovoltaic (PV) panel. system can be as little as four years.

Once your system is paid off, your solar panels will continue to generate free power for your home for the lifetime of the system! 

5. Environmentally friendly 

Another big selling point for solar is that it is a renewable energy source. This means that as you use the resource, it doesn’t deplete the source. So, by using the sunlight that hits the earth and turning it into electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as..., we don’t deplete the sun’s energy.

Plus, electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as... created with solar panels does not produce any greenhouse gas emissions. Nothing is being released into the atmosphere when we produce electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as... with solar panels. The only thing that’s created is clean energy! 

6. Energy independence 

Having solar panels allows homeowners to create their own energy, thereby giving them energy independence. Essentially this means a solar home isn’t as dependent on the traditional electric gridSee electrical grid.. This allows you to take power into your own hands and control where your home is getting its energy from. 

On a larger scale, the United States making the switch to solar and other renewable energies would allow the country to achieve energy independence. The US would not have to rely heavily on other countries to get oil, gas, and coal like we do now. 

Using energy created right here in the US and not relying on foreign sources is great for national security and for the country’s economy. 

Disadvantages of solar energy

1. High upfront cost 

The large upfront cost is one of the biggest drawbacks of solar panelSee photovoltaic (PV) panel. systems. As of January 2022, the average cost of solar in the US is about $3.00 per watt. So, a 6 kW solar panelSee photovoltaic (PV) panel. system would run you around $18,000, on average, before the federal tax credit is applied.

The actual cost of a solar system will vary by state, and by the incentives that you qualify for. 

Luckily, there are solar financing options available. In many cases, you can qualify for a zero-down solar loan, which allows you to still save money on your electric bill and reap the benefits of owning a solar system.

2. Solar energy is an intermittent energy source 

There are three main reasons why solar is considered an intermittent source of power: 

1. The sun doesn’t shine at night. Therefore solar panels don’t generate power at night.
2. The intensity of the sun varies based on the location, the time of year, and the time of day.
3. Cloud, snow, and foliage cover can have a significant effect on the amount of energy produced by solar panels.

All of these factors have been used to argue that solar power cannot be relied on for base loadThe average amount of electric power that a utility must... or mission-critical applications. However, this is changing with the emergence of cost-effective battery solutions. Batteries allow homeowners to store their solar power and draw energy from the batteryTwo or more electrochemical cells are enclosed in a container... when their solar panels aren’t producing energy. 

The most popular residential solar batteryTwo or more electrochemical cells are enclosed in a container... is the Tesla Powerwall, a 13.5 kWh lithium-ion batteryTwo or more electrochemical cells are enclosed in a container.... Other manufacturers, such as sonnen, LG, and BYD, offer great solar batteries for home energy storage, as well. 

Ongoing advances in batteryTwo or more electrochemical cells are enclosed in a container... storage are a sign that intermittency may not be a limitation on solar power for long.

3. Solar panel manufacturing has some environmental impact 

While the power that solar panels generate is emission-free,  it is important to note that there is some pollution associated with the manufacturing of solar panels.

Some solar panels contain harmful pollutants, like sulfur hexafluoride, which is more potent than carbon dioxide. However, the impact of carbon dioxide on the climate is much greater than that of sulfur hexafluoride. 

The environmental impact of solar panels is minimal compared to the amount of damage associated with the mining and burning of fossil fuels.

4. Solar panels require space 

Solar panels require space in order to meet energy needs. For residential installations, a roof will almost always have enough space. However, when you look at large grid-scale solar installations, space can be a bit of an issue. 

This is because solar panels have a lower power density. Power density is how much power can be derived from an energy source within a certain area, measured in watts per square meter (W/m2). The power density of solar panels is low compared to those of fossil fuels. 

This means that you need a larger area of solar panels in order to produce the same amount of energy that a coal plant would. However, the amount of land that was mined for fossil fuels is not considered in this measurement.

So although you would need a large solar power plant and a small coal plant, the mining of coal destroys acres upon acres of land, whereas the solar power plant does not. 

5. You can’t take solar with you 

One of the disadvantages of installing solar panels on your home is that it can be expensive to move them, should you decide to move. The net metering agreement with your utility is fixed to the property. Also, finding someone to remove and reinstall your solar panels can be costly.

But, solar panels do add value to your home, so even if you do move, you are likely to see the value of your solar panels reflected in a higher sale price. 

If you do plan on moving in the near future, it is best to purchase your solar panels outright. If you have a solar lease or a power purchase agreement (PPA), you will need the new owner to take over your agreement, which can be a hassle.

Should you install solar panels?

The pros of solar energy greatly outweigh the cons. The cost to install solar is now cheaper than ever, the solar tax credit has been extended until 2023, and the price of electricityEnergy resulting from the flow of charged particles, such as... is only going to continue to rise. The sooner you make the switch to solar, the sooner you can start saving. 

Use our solar calculator to find out how much solar can save you. 

• Solar panels have a number of pros and cons that homeowners should consider before making a decision.

Key takeaways • Solar panels have a number of pros and cons that homeowners should consider before making a decision. • Some of the main advantages of a solar panelSee photovoltaic (PV) panel. installation are electric bill savings, substantial return on investment, energy independence, and the fact that they’re environmentally friendly. • Installing solar does come with some disadvantages, such as high upfront costs, they require a lot of space, and you can’t take them with you if you decide to move. • Overall, installing solar panels is a great investment for homeowners.