Pros and Cons of Solar Panels for Port Macquarie, Albury, Wodonga, and Newcastle

Solar panels for Albury and other regions in Australia have become increasingly popular. So popular, in fact, that is has been estimated that 10 percent of Australia’s 8 million homes will have some sort of solar power installed and operational by the end of 2013. Before you take the leap of investing in solar panels for homes or residences in any Australian town, be sure to fully understand the pros and cons.

Pros of for Newcastle and Surrounding Areas

Pro: The fuel source for solar panels in cities Australia is absolutely free. No one owns the sun, and no one can interfere with your right to tap the sun’s power and convert it to electricity for residential use.

Pro: Solar panels provide clean energy. There is no environmentally damaging waste produced by solar panels as they convert light into electricity. The only thing to worry about in terms of negative environmental impact is the carbon footprint of manufacturing panels and batteries. Of course, if you don’t care about using solar power after dark you don’t need a battery. And when you spread out the impact of producing solar panels for cities like Wodonga over the life of those panels (which can be decades), the carbon footprint is greatly reduced.

Pro: Solar energy corresponds well to usage needs. Most people sleep by night and work by day, meaning that their daylight energy use is much higher. This pattern corresponds well to the availability of solar power, which is abundant by day and may be stored by night.

Cons of Solar Panels in Wodonga and Surrounding Areas

Con: The technology in solar panels is constantly evolving. This is a mixed blessing. While we all like lowered costs and improved efficiency, knowing that your solar panels will no longer be cutting-edge a year or so after you purchase them can make it hard to know when exactly to invest in this technology.

Con: Storing solar energy can be expensive. Solar energy flows freely while the sun is shining, but come nightfall it must be stored in expensive battery arrays.

Con: Solar power requires a lot of space. Most of the current generation of solar panels in Newcastle, Albury, and Port Macquarie and other cities across Australia have relatively low energy conversion efficiency. This means you need a lot of surface area to generate enough power to run your entire home.

Now that you’ve reviewed these pros and cons, you should be one step closer to deciding whether or not to install solar panels in your own home, whether you live in Port Macquarie or some other city. Remember, you don’t have to rely exclusively on solar power right away. Instead, you can install just a few panels to supplement your power consumption from the grid. This will save you money without requiring you to worry about powering your home after dark or during peak demand solely with solar panels and solar power.