I am interested in solar electricity

There has been a lot of public backlash here over the past many years regarding installing pv solar. Here, basically the poor (who don't have solar) are funding the infrastructure for the rich (who do) via massive electricity price hikes to their bills. It makes no real difference to less pollution as the coal generators need to run anyway & still are essential to provide the bulk of the load. And manufacturing the entire system - every component - is enormously taxing upon the environment - in the long run & initially. It requires a sizable investment & including extra insurance payments & ongoing maintenance, etc... you'll never even break-even before something expensive breaks down. People think solar - whichever system - is "set & forget". Not so. And who are you to stop your neighbour from building or for his trees to grow, shading your panels? And how do you guarantee against more frequent & more intense "natuaral disasters" of the past decade or so? The panels you buy will never actually achieve their peak rated power output, not by a long shot. It's like buying a litre bottle of soft drink & only actually getting 800mL! Also, the rated output is only possible at 25 degrees celcius - dropping off significantly either side. Here, improper inverter shut-down in over-voltage conditions have resulted - many, many times in a raised mains voltage, as high as 255V instead of 240V for most 230V rated equipment. This has been found responsible for blowing up appliances everywhere, at certain times of the day. Also, during these times of peak generation at non-peak loading when inverters are automatically shut down to prevent over voltage, owners will not be receiving payment for what they are generating everyday during these times. Then there are deliberate mismatches in applying the grid-feed & buy-back tariffs, resulting in the power company getting much, much more than they're paying you for. Solar installers do not even need a licence here! Poor earthing & lightening strikes do not go together! There is a significant fire risk (12%) of those currently installed. This whole thing is politically motivated backed by the world's wealthiest cartels. Sound engineering practice has not been consulted nor permitted here. Just think about it. We use power almost 24/7. Why don't you use constant power sources from the natural environment instead of intermittant ones like pv solar & wind?

Solar energy and wind energy are tricky things. They seem very different on their face, but when you cut through the BS, they're basically the same. The photovoltaic cells which convert the sun's energy into DC electricity are, by and large, inefficient unless in direct sunlight. You also need quite a few cells (read: a lot of space and a lot of money) in order to get enough electricity. But how exactly does the process work? Maybe there are more sophisticated rigs on the market, but most work by storing the converted energy in batteries -- mostly the equivalent of 12v car batteries (different depending on where you live). So when these batteries have a charge, the electricity is fed to the appliances in your home. The thing is that you can accomplish the same thing with a wind turbine or two. 1: They're not nearly as expensive. 2: They don't take up as much room. 3: The wind has a better chance of blowing than the sun has of shining directly on your cells. 4: The wind blows as night, thus charging up your batteries while you sleep, whereas the solar panels are only good in the daytime; you're just consuming your stored energy when the sun goes down rather than creating more. 5: With a few electrical components ($20/30), a treadmill, a box fan and some old car batteries from the junk yard, and a few days to spend on the construction process, you can create a wind generator for probably 1/1000th of the cost of a complete solar rig. And also a lot lower than just a few panels. 6: You don't need as much space. Solar panels have to be in direct sun if you want max efficiency; a wind turbine just has to be where the wind is blowing. You could set it up on the roof, out in the yard, on top of the doghouse, nail it to a tree, paint it like a an old-fashioned windmill and use it as a yard ornament, etc. They're both accomplishing the same thing. Now, some might argue that solar will generate more electricity. Well, I'll race them to full charge -- 1 wind turbine vs. 1 solar panel. And I'll pay a lot less to get it. The only way the solar panel wins is if it has its buddies helping it out to complete a rig. In which case, go back to the junk yard and build 4 more wind turbines. You can attach them all on the same 20ft poll (but not all to the same blade -- entropy and all that).

Solar Electricity is Eco-Friendly but the infrastructure cost is not comfortable. For home use purpose it is not affordable for a common person. Thanks for this nice topic!!

I also see it as a good alternative with the current power source which is Oil. Solar is clean since it relies only on solar light to produce electricity making it the cleanest source of electricity. The only problem right now is the cost since you will need to invest rather big to be able to at least maintain your power needs that you normally consume. The smaller versions are just not enough you will need to cover almost all of your roof to be able to catch enough power from the sun. But I see solar power technology as promising since they are really a clean source of energy. The only thing that hinders is how you can really harness them without consuming a lot of space.

I like the solar electricity since it is clean and it will not cost you much. Although the solar battery seems to be expensive, but it is still worthy. I think we shall take more advantage of it and it will be good for us in the end. Since it is a green energy.

it is a great discussion. I really wish for solar electricity specially for populated countries which there is a huge problem of electricity there and also increasing the bill of electricity per month is terrible matter for some families... I am agree with solar systems and I really hope for better future to make some electricity for home to use it freely... :)

There are many factory to manufacture solar electricity equipment in China, but few Chinese use this kind of equipments here. The very reason is the cost, most of the family here can not afford it. Though solar energy is clean, the process of making solar equipment is pollutive. Taking all the factors into consider, using solar energy will not protect the environment here.

From what I have learned from news items as well as Online resources, the cost of solar electricity is not much within a range where it would be cheap to be provided to people. There have been researches as well as various efforts to make it more available and abundant. Wind Power looks more promising as of today.