What is solar energy?
The energy or electricity derived from the sun by using specially designed solar panels is called Solar Energy. Solar panels work on the principle of the photoelectric effect. The photovoltaic cells present on the large panels absorb and convert the energy of solar rays into current, which is further converted to alternative current by using inverters. There are different impacts of solar energy on the environment.
Man has discovered a huge and never-ending source of energy, the Sun. Humans have been making progress in every field since the beginning. However, the speed of progress in significantly increased in the past few decades. We are now able to get energy from the Sun directly by using Solar Panels. Solar energy is the cleanest source of energy with zero pollution.
In the past few years, we have become more conscious of the greener forms of energy to protect the earth. Conventional forms of energy cause a high level of pollution leading to fatal diseases and other harmful effects on living things. The bad effects of pollution from conventional sources of energy affect human, plant, and sea life at the same time. We have made great progress in the field of greener forms of energy, yet we can do a lot more.
Effects of Solar Energy:
There are many positive effects of solar energy on earth. As compared to traditional energy sources, solar energy systems significantly improve the environment, which notably aids in the sustainable growth of human activities. However, there are instances when the widespread use of such systems must deal with potentially adverse environmental effects. Thinking that solar energy has only positive impacts on earth is not correct. It has some drawbacks as well. However, these are not significant in most cases and can be dealt with easily.
Advantages:
The following are some major advantages of solar energy.
Almost Zero pollution rate:
The usage of solar energy has significantly decreased air and water pollution. A minor amount of water is needed for the maintenance and cleaning of solar panels. It does not involve the combustion of fuel, so there are no chances of emission of hazardous gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. The main disadvantage of generating energy from conventional resources is the combustion of fuel which is now nipped from the bud in solar energy.
Savings in Utility bills:
Efficiently installed solar panels on the roof of a house can fulfill the needs of energy of the house. You can also charge the batteries in the daytime so you can use them at night when solar panels are not working due to a lack of sunshine. Hence, we can say you will not have to pay the utility bill every month.
Less loss during transmission:
Transmission of conventional electricity from a production house to homes and businesses causes a loss of almost 4% on average. Though it is not a big loss but can affect higher when the number of consumers increases.
Solar energy has solved the problem of long-distance transmission. You can install solar panels on the roof or in the yard and get electricity with no distance and no loss during transmission.
Available everywhere:
There are some remote locations where grid electricity cannot be transmitted due to a lack of infrastructure, but you can take solar panels to any remote location. Installation of panels is also not a big deal. Moreover, you can purchase batteries to store energy for nighttime as well.
Peak hours:
Peak hours are the hours when electricity consumption is very high. From 11:00 to 16:00 is considered peak hours. Most companies charge high rates of electricity in peak hours. Sun also shines very brightly at the same hours. You can produce energy for your house and business by using solar panels during peak hours. Your requirement for energy will be efficiently fulfilled without paying high rates of electricity.
The drawback of Solar energy:
Solar energy has many drawbacks besides many advantages. But these are very minor bad effects and can be eradicated.
Heavy metals:
Heavy metals are used in the manufacturing of solar panels. Solar panels are mostly manufactured by Cadium Telluride. These metals produce the same pollution effects which are caused in the case of the combustion process. Coal and oil also produce the same pollution effects, but by comparison, it is noticed that coal and gas are almost 300 times more dangerous than Cadium Telluride. So, it is a very minor side effect of using these metals for manufacturing solar panels.
Soil and water resources:
The construction of solar power plants can damage the soil and water resources. Power plant requires a heavy and vast area of land. The land will be compacted to make it harder and fit for the construction of a power plant. It will change the nature of the soil.
A vast area of land is required to construct and heavy-duty solar power plant. It means a big area of land will be covered and will have almost no contention with the sunshine. It can cause land pollution and land will not be able to use for any other purposes such as growing crops.
The construction of heavy solar power plants can cause the release of pathogens contained in the soil. These pathogens can pollute the air badly. The composition of air will be completely changed. This nature of air had bad effects on water reservoirs.
Recycling:
Recycling solar panels is very important because materials used in manufacturing are rare and expensive. Silver, tellurium, and indium are very precious and expensive. Another difficulty in recycling is the lack of a proper location. We don’t have proper and enough locations to dispose-off the solar panels. The biggest issue is less quantity of non-working solar panels. There are chances of losing the important metals completely if a limited quantity of solar panels is recycled.
Final words:
Having some drawbacks besides many benefits is a natural phenomenon. It also depends upon the perception of reality of humans which varies from man to man. The same rule is applied to solar energy. There are many benefits of using solar energy, yet we have seen some drawbacks as well. But if we compare these drawbacks against the benefits, the drawbacks are as negligible.
