By far, the main disadvantages of solar energy is the initial cost. Solar energy technology is still a bit more expensive then readily available fossil fuel technologies, but that price gap is getting smaller every month. Now with price of materials to build your own panels have decreased, the notion of running your own house on solar, or even wind power, is not hat far out of reach.
Even though the cost of building your own solar panels is reasonable, the second disadvantage would be the batteries required for storing the energy stored up for when the sun goes down or on rainy / overcast days. Not so long ago, there have been 2 deal breakers when it comes to the batteries. The thing is that batteries can cost even more then the panels in some cases. Now with recycling efforts and a global "green movement" - batteries are just a fraction of what they used to be if you know where to look. There are even locations that offer free batteries. The other downside is the chemicals that they possess. Sulphuric acid and lead are both toxic to the environment's air, soil and water and is highly toxic to marine life. Again, advancements in recycling have made it possible to recover 98% of lead that would have gone into landfills. By the same token, maintaining your batteries can now prolong the life of them up to 3 times longer. So if you look at it that way, it turns out to be less of a disadvantage and more of an advantage - relatively speaking.
The third thing to take into consideration before investing in a self sufficient solar power system is the location or efficiency factors. Places like Arizona , Hawaii and Florida would be an ideal spot to make such a transition. Heck, even places in Alaska could run solar energy 24 hours a day, that is if you keep the snow off of it and even then for part of the year. Simply put, Problem is that most locations are seasonal. Places like Phoenix can bank on 5 ½ hours of usable, direct sunlight a day for the most part of the year while the heartland may only get 2 - 4 productive hours of sunlight depending on the season.
Another insurmountable aspect of the location is the fact that it is going to take up a lot of space if you are going to see any significant improvement in your energy bill. You could do just fine with one panel to light a shed. Three if you want to light a room or hot water heater. More if you are wanting to store it and use it at night via batteries. There are so many variables as to what your power requirements would be, but don't be surprised if you find your self needing a dozen or more.
What does that mean for you? Yes, transitioning over to your own personal power company is a big step. It is a major investment. On the other hand though, we are thinking long term here. In general you will cut even in 3 - 4 years time and after that it's all profit. If you generate more then you consume - and your still connected to the utility companies power grid, you will be feeding then energy in which case they will be sending you a check. The value of the home goes up, It raises the resell value of a home, and just in January of 2009, congress passed the new Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 which lets the government pick up the tab for up to thirty percent of the installed system. Plus, as a bonus, additional tax breaks year after year.
People are starting to take another look at "do it yourself solar power" because not so long ago it was just not worth the effort. But now with the lower costs and additional cash back incentives folks are realize that the advantages of solar power have out weighed the disadvantages.
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When you grow up just outside of Phoenix you learn to adapt to the extreme temperatures. It also gave me the chance to start breaking the ties with my conventional power company. I've started to migrate my home to solar power. So far so good. See how it's coming along at: http://advantagesanddisadvantagesofsolarpower.com/
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