Solar Power Cost
The cost of power generated from coal and natural gas can range from Rs. 2 to 3 per KWh. The cost of wind power falls between Rs. 3 and 3.2 per KWh. However, as of 2009, the cost of Solar Power from photovoltaic cells and solar thermal falls between Rs. 10 and Rs 15 per KWh.
Advantages Of Solar Power
Solar Power is becoming increasingly practical every day. From being an expensive source of electricity, solar energy has turned into an economical power source in the long-run. In addition to these savings, you are also going to save the monthly electrical bills as there are no recurrent bills to be paid.
The amount of electricity generated from solar energy depends upon the available sunlight. However, with new advances in technology it is possible to generate sufficient amount of electricity even in cloudy conditions.
The biggest advantage of using Solar Power is that it is an inexhaustible source of energy. Once you have installed the system, you don’t have to worry that you would ever be without electricity because the sun is always going to be there. However, at times the amount of electricity generated may be lesser and you would have to depend upon the utility grid. But, there are going to be times when you would be able to sell the excess electricity.
The next advantage of using solar energy is that it doesn’t emit any pollution into the environment. Solar panels don’t release any emissions into the atmosphere while generating electricity. This is not something that can be expected from electricity generated from thermal sources and hydroelectric source. Additionally, there are efforts on way to recycle solar panels.
Solar Power is flexible in its setup. When you want to power your entire home, a large number of solar panels can be mounted on the roof, and when you require solar energy to power the garden lights or something that requires less electricity, a smaller number of solar panels are required. Installing Solar Power systems can be timesaving because it doesn’t require running long wiring.
Solar Power can also be used for running a wide range of devices. It is suitable for running homes, industries and even for powering satellite. Even, solar powered cars have been developed, and efforts are on way to make these vehicles more economical. solar energy technology is also developing at a fast rate, making it more practical and economical.
Nowadays, even government is offering rebate and tax exemptions to those who install Solar Power in their home. This makes it possible for homeowners to install these systems at affordable prices. In the most remote locations, solar energy is the ideal source of electricity. In fact, it is more economical to install solar panels in such areas than running power lines.
A big advantage of solar energy systems is that a properly installed system doesn’t require much maintenance. When compared to other power sources, this is a big advantage because you cannot bear the heavy cost of power system maintenance.
Disadvantages of Solar Power
There is one disadvantage to Solar Power systems regarding reliability and consistency. A regular supply of sunlight is essential to keep generating electricity. Although, once the sun goes down, the solar energy level drops very fast. This makes it important to have a power storage device in the form of batteries so that you can have uninterrupted supply of electricity. If there are no batteries, there is going to be no electricity without sunlight.
The majority of disadvantages about Solar Power are more economical in nature. Even after lots of technological development, the solar panels used to produce electricity are quite expensive. A single solar panel can generate only a small amount of power. This means a large number of solar panels are required to generate enough amount of electricity to power houses and industries.
It is also required that the panels are angled properly through the day in order to align with the direct sunlight. Hence, it is essential to implement a mechanical adjustment system so as to turn the panels according to the angle of sunlight.
Area required to produce 1 KW of Power :
An area of 10-12 sq mtr. or 100 -120 sq. ft of area (actual is 70 sq ft.) is needed to produce 1 KW of Power. and that too with 15% efficiency(highest) of the panels. So for 1MW of Power we require 2.5 acre of area.
So lastly it requires lot of subsidies and lots of tariff cuts and high volume of productions at home which will bring down the cost of per KWhr at par with conventional energy.
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