Perhaps you have ever wondered about the panels that crowd many buildings, factories and lights, how do these rigid panels provide us with electrical energy, the nerve of life? The answer to this question is simply by "solar energy". The sun is the main source of electricity generation through these panels, which are called solar panels. What are they and what are their pros and cons in our lives? We will learn about that in this article. 

What is solar energy?

The sun supplies the Earth with the energy necessary for all forms of life on it, through tiny particles "photons" that contain potential energy. The sun is the primary source for all other forms of energy such as: electrical energy, thermal energy and wind energy. The sun can provide us with all the energy we need for an entire year in just one year. 

The main source of this energy is nuclear explosions and reactions that occur every second in the sun itself, which produces fantastic amounts of energy in the form of light radiation and heat, and we can convert it into other forms.

In simple words; Solar energy is energy that is collected through sunlight, and used to generate heat through the use of mirrors to heat water. Which is consumed in many homes and businesses, or even heated until it turns into steam and then used to run turbines and generate electricity.

Pros and cons of solar energy

Although solar energy is a clean and renewable resource, harnessing it is not without some drawbacks and disadvantages. Below we will know its pros and cons:

A renewable source of energy

The sun's energy is a renewable resource that is available daily and cannot be exhausted as long as the sun rises again. So it must be exploited and utilized.

Low maintenance costs

  Solar energy systems do not require expensive maintenance like other electrical energy, which costs millions to maintain. It must be kept clean and cleaned several times a year to maintain it. Or you can ask for help from companies that specialize in cleaning solar panels, so the maintenance costs are very low and not expensive.

Solar energy is constantly evolving

The technology in this field is constantly evolving and advancing. Where physical innovations can permanently increase the efficiency of solar panels.

The Preservation of the environment

  The use of solar energy significantly reduces the dependence on oil derivatives, coal and natural gas for the production of electricity. Since it is clean and does not cause pollution, it protects the environment and does not harm the ozone layer.

Continuously saving electricity

We can cover the home's electricity needs. And that by installing solar panels on the roof of the house. And we can get them in the day and at night where they can be stored in batteries, which will reduce the financial burden of electricity bills significantly.

Can be used in a variety of applications

  We can benefit from it in many applications such as: generating electricity through photovoltaic cells or generating heat by thermal energy from the sun. It can also be used for water distillation and many other applications.

Cons of solar energy

We have mentioned many advantages, but before you make the decision to use it, you should be fully aware of all its disadvantages, which are as follows:

Expensive installation cost

The cost of purchasing a solar system is rather high, this cost includes paying for and installing the solar panels, batteries, wiring.

climatic barriers

  Solar panels are completely dependent on sunlight to effectively collect solar energy. Thus, the efficiency of this system decreases during rainy and cloudy days.

Does not work at night

Solar energy cannot be collected during the night, but this can be remedied by storing the energy from the sun in the morning in large batteries.

It takes a lot of space to install the panels

  The more electricity you want to produce, the more panels you will need to collect as much sunlight as possible. It is worth noting that the household roofs are not large enough to fit the number of solar panels needed, and the alternative in this case is to install some solar panels in the yard and large areas.

environmental pollution

Solar energy itself is quite clean and the associated pollution is much less compared to other sources such as fuel and coal. The transportation and installation of its systems causes the emission of greenhouse gases and some toxic substances produced during the manufacturing process of solar PV systems, which indirectly affect the environment.

In the end, the use and employment of solar energy contributes to securing a good proportion of our needs of electricity and heat in a completely clean manner, despite some minor limitations. The future may bring us some solutions to avoid the negatives of solar energy and use this renewable energy that does not pollute the environment in an efficient and completely clean manner.