Alternative Power Panel Blog

This is one in my Dobehave Series: Save Energy, Be Green, Have More

Advantages of solar-wind power

Disadvantages of solar-wind power

Questions being answered:
What is the cost of maintaining solar energy system-wind power system? What is the cost efficiency of solar and or wind power systems in comparison to conventional fossil fuels?

largest solar plant

The time has now come to take a deeper look into the advantage and disadvantages of alternative fuels. In so doing we will take a look at what is appropriate from large scale alternative energy systems, but also what is available to the individual citizen and family homes.

Without doubt there are many aspects to take into consideration, such as cost effectiveness, interference with eco-systems, climate issues. I will also come up with some ideas that I believe can enhance the use of these systems.

The same hard look should also be made for conventional fuel facilities.

General Advantages
All systems using alternative fuels to create energy (electricity) are clean of emissions and use renewable energy.

Industrial solar and wind systems

Disadvantages
In order to create the amount of electricity needed vast areas must be set aside to house either solar panels or wind mills.

part of large wind fard

The eco-systems of these areas will for obvious reasons be influenced, mainly with the most common type of solar panels available today. However as technology improves these areas could and will become smaller while at the same time producing more energy.

Wind farms tend to be less damaging to the eco-systems. In the areas where wind farms can be built there will still be open land in between and any wildlife will be able to adapt to this change in its eco-system.

There are some claims that wind farms make noise. This may be unavoidable, but as these farms are usually either at sea or on vast open lands quite removed from inhabited ares, this factor should not play a major role.

There are of course limitations on where these types of systems can be built.
Solar systems can only be built in areas with fairly constant sunshine, and wind farms can only be built in areas with fairly constant winds at a certain strength.

Solar and wind energy are renewable energy sources. They earth would not be what it is without sun. As long as the sun keeps shining, we will have energy.
As long as the sun keeps shining, earth keeps rotating around the sun and water stays in the oceans and rivers we will have wind as part of our climate.
These two sources of energy will never run out, they are clean, and have very few side effects on the environment.

Advantages
There are charges that the building of these facilities are very costly.
To make this claim we must compare it to the building of facilities using fossil fuels and include the cost of extracting the fossil fuels and the transport.
When this comparison is made on a long term basis, the alternative power facilities come out the winners. In this equation must also come the effect of emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.

Solar or wind home energy systems

home wind turbine, one option

Disadvantages
The main disadvantage is that you may only be able to have one of them, depending on the climate where you live. There is some claim that wind turbines are noisy. The newest turbines are much less noisy, and as they are being developed they will most likely become even less so.

home solar system, one option

For some the sight of solar panels on roofs is disturbing. Again as the technology develops and architects realize that panels and turbines must be an integrated part of the building, construction can be done in such a way that the panels become invisible.

Advantages
Any home solar or wind power system is a bonus first of all to the household.
* it saves that household a lot of money
* each household that builds each own energy system removes itself from the general electricity producer, and in so doing reduces the facility’s need for fossil fuels.
* a household with its own energy system is creating the possibility of making money by selling surplus power back to the utility company.

Other places to install solar systems

Most large buildings, such as shopping malls, office buildings, communal facilities, use a tremendous amount of energy for air-conditioning, lights, office equipment and more.

At the same time they also have large areas of windows or unused space. These areas could and should be put to use for the creation of energy.

Window should be photovoltaic cells. This will do two things:
1. Create electricity for the place thereby reducing the need to purchase electricity from the electric company
2. Shade the room, thereby reducing the need for air conditioning.

Rooftops of such buildings could house either solar panels or wind turbines. Even the roofs of stadiums could have solar panels or wind turbines, thereby reducing the amount of electricity needed from the utility company.

By using already existing buildings as part of the electricity producing
grid we can avoid having to build new power plants.
By using already existing buildings we can turn them into solar or wind farms and so untouched eco-systems can be left in peace.
By using already existing buildings we all become part of the electric
company with the desire to be as cost efficient as possible.

Cost of maintaining solar and wind power systems

The main issue in maintaining a solar or wind power system is making sure that the solar panels are undamaged and that the wind turbines do not get stuck.
Both of these are minimal as the panels or turbines produced today can withstand almost all climate conditions.

When considering the issue of maintenance we should also take into consideration and compare the cost of maintaining conventional fossil fuel plants.
We must look also at the advantages of having such systems whether industrial or home based.

We have created a special unusual situation through the use of fossil fuels. It takes thinking “outside the box” to solve the situation.

Click here to see how you can install your own home power system.

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