Solar Panels: Interesting Facts About the Goodness They Pack
For billions of years the sun has been the primary energy source that has helped life on this planet develop and thrive. However, in the past century humans have discovered how to harness its power to light homes, heat water and power appliances. Now, the solar panel industry is threatening to push non-renewable power sources, like coal and oil, out of the way. Yay! Let’s take a look at a few facts about solar panels that make them the most environment and pocket-friendly power source that has ever existed!
Eco-Friendly
173 000 terawatts of solar energy continuously strike our planet, which is more than 10 000 times the energy we need. Therefore, in just one hour there’s enough sunlight reaching the Earth that can meet the energy needs for one year. And the best thing? Unlike non-renewable sources like coal and oil which will eventually diminish, solar power will never run out as long as the sun shines and the Earth spins. Moreover, coal, oil and natural gas are all responsible for CO2 emissions and global warming. If you want to help save our planet, a good way to start is investing in a solar panel for your home.
Extremely Affordable
The time to go solar is now! Dropping a whooping 58 per cent in cost over the last 5 years, solar power is now cheaper in Australia than fossil fuels. Consequently, this has led to the birth of a market for high-quality solar panels Australia made products. Today, from 20 houses on one street, almost half of them have solar panels on their roofs. Moreover, embracing the solar panel trend will save you from having to pay lots and lots of dollars on the ever increasing electricity bills.
Low Maintenance and Durable
There are no moving parts in solar panels, only PV cells which are completely natural materials called semiconductors. This makes solar panels extremely low maintenance since you don’t need to fix and replace any parts. The only care your panels will require is checking them for any dirt or debris a few times a year. For cleaning, you can use a normal garden hose to wash them when they are cooled down during the evening or in the early morning. As far as the operating life of a solar panel goes, since it has no running parts, it can last for up to 35 years when taken good care of.
No Sun – No Problem
A common misconception is that solar panels do not operate on cloudy days. However, even when clouds are completely covering the sky, there’s still sunlight that reaches solar panels. This amount of it can result in around 10-25% of the usual energy production which is just enough to power your household throughout the day. Therefore, clouds are no excuse for not creating an energy-efficient home. Take Germany for example – it gets as much sunshine as Alaska. But that didn’t stop it from becoming the top solar panel installer which produces 31% of the world’s total renewable energy. However, there’s no dispute there’s more solar energy to harness in sunnier countries. Therefore, regarding solar panels Australia climate is just perfect.
