3 Top Reasons You Should Not Go For A Solar Panel Installation

August 28, 2010 by  
Filed under General, Solar Energy

These are my top three reasons why you should not make your own solar power installation. This is supposed to give you some objective information to inform you of why a solar panel installation is not necessarily a good thing. So here are the facts:

Reason 1: A solar power installation costs a lot and only pays for itself after a long time

If you are going to purchase a solar panel installation, you are looking to spend upwards to tens of thousands of dollars. Even with the best sun exposure and if you were selling the electricity to your power company, it will take you tens of years to repay your investment.

Many people get attracted to the idea of getting a free source of electricity, which would even provide them with electricity to sell. They, however, remain ignorant of the investment, which would be required to make this possible. Even worse, sometimes they just purchase the solar power system thinking that it would repay itself quickly and only then find out that it could take up to 20-30 years. This is definitely a trap you would like to stay out of.

Reson 2: The efficiency of your solar power installation is highly dependent on your solar exposure

This reason is kind of obvious, but let us look deeper into it. Before you purchase your solar system you are supposed to look at the potential for making solar power in your area. This depends on the amount of sun exposure you get there. So let us say you get a high amount of solar exposure. What could go wrong then?

Well, let us just say that solar exposure is a variable. In other words, when talking about a long-term investment, which a solar power system is, you could imagine how a variable such as solar exposure could change. Natural conditions have shown the potential to change, so it would not be unimaginable to have a previously very sunny area gradually start getting less solar exposure. This, in turn, could make a profitable solar power system rather unprofitable.

Reason 3: The efficiency of your solar power system is also dependent on the surroundings

This last reason might sound negligible, but in fact it is the biggest possible turn-off. Two major things pop up in mind in this regard. They are pollution and surrounding buildings.

First, pollution has the potential to shorten the life of your solar panels as if you live in an area with high levels of pollution, your system’s life will be adversely affected. Second, a solar power system project, once again, is a project done with a long-term perspective. We already said that we could not predict solar exposure for the long term. Even more, we can not predict that your building would not be surrounded by taller buildings, which would reduce your solar exposure.

These were the top three reasons why solar power systems are not a good choice. Now that you think about it, you might not want to make a solar power installation anymore. But do not despair. The purpose of this article is not to discourage you from making your solar power system. Exactly the opposite – solar power systems are great and if built with consideration and in a cost-efficient manner, they could bring a good return on investment.

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