Solar power, which is counted among one of the major environment-friendly sources of energy, has a number of positives and negatives. One of the most prominent advantages of solar power is that it can be renewed.
There are certain weather conditions like cloudy and stormy days where solar power may not be received, but such days are exceptions and not the rule. Solar power is more advantageous compared to other sources of fuel, which are not renewable. Oil is one of the most common example of such a fuel type.
The solar cells that are the most often used means for extracting solar power are more environment-friendly compared to the drilling and pumping machines that are used for the purpose of extracting oil from the source from the point of view of sound pollution. Solar power is better compared to other fuels like oil for example from the point of view of pollution. Proof of this statement lies in the fact that when oil is burnt the harmful greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and carcinogens are released in the air.
The solar cells are also extremely durable since they have little or no parts that may need to be moved. This implies that they are cheaper from the point of maintenance. The only expense made in case of the solar cells is the money needed to buy the particular instrument.
The owners can save money on these instruments on the long run as energy drawn from the sun is free of the cost. When put against the backdrop of the rising oil prices this appears to be an even more beneficial aspect of solar power. The solar lights or solar cells are also convenient from the point of installation.
With the help of the solar cells or solar panels it is possible to generate electricity in areas where the exposure to sun is comparatively lesser. One of the various advantages of solar power is that at times excess energy is generated with the help of these machines and this additional energy may be sold to make profits. The solar cells and panels are time efficient as well. There are also a variety of solar panels that are available in the market. A lot of breakthroughs are being made in the technological aspect of solar power utilization and this implies its usefulness would only increase with time.
Solar power is also used in devices like satellites for example. The scientists are also coming up with the idea of a vehicle that is run by solar power. All this is sure top make solar power more appealing and advantageous to the common people. As far as remote areas are concerned solar power is the best way to generate energy.
A drawback of solar power is that it cannot be obtained at night and the fact that the expenses to buy the instruments needed to draw the solar power are on the higher side can be counted as disadvantages of the solar power. However, it may be assumed that in short time these disadvantages would cease to exist even as technological innovations continue to happen in the field of solar power. There are also certain places in the world where rebates are being offered for purchasing instruments for drawing solar energy.
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Professor of Economics & Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals. Founder & co-President of the Millennium Promise Alliance.
Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom from 1992 to 2007. Prime Minister of the UK between 2007 and 2010. Inaugural 'Distinguished Leader in Residence' at New York University. Advisor at World Economic Forum
CEO and co-CIO of PIMCO. Served as President and CEO of the Harvard Management Company for 2 years, while also working at the IMF for 15 years. In 2008, his book "When Markets Collide", won the Financial Times award for Business Book of The Year in addition to being named as the one of the best business books of all time by The Independent.
Vice President and Director of the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution. Former Turkish Minister of State for Economic Affairs. Head of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) from 2005-2009.