Your Questions About Solar Energy Pros And Cons

admin answers:

Pros:
Cheaper per kW-hr than gas, coal, petroleum, and solar energy production.
Zero carbon emissions power production
Higher output than any other energy source for a given area
High paying jobs stimulate local economy more than other forms of energy production
More jobs created than from gas, coal or petroleum production
With reprocessing, nuclear energy could provide a nearly endless supply of power at current demands.

Cons:
Re-Processing of commercial fuels currently creates issues with waste volume in the United States, leading to storage and disposal issues.
Wastes are highly radioactive and must be handles carefully and dealt with using engineered safety features.
Public opinion of nuclear power presents a “not in my back yard” mentality, even with US plant design being some of the safest plants in the world to operate.
Plants must be built in geologically stable area, or engineered to withstand geological events to prevent the release of contamination.
The approval and construction process for new nuclear plants is quite costly, making it difficult to build new facilities.

admin answers:

There are several problems with fossil fuels. They are a limited commodity, they cause pollution when burned, and they are destructive to drill for or mine.

Solar energy is a growing technology right now. People who have solar panels on their houses often generate more electricity than they can even use, and in some places they can sell it back to the power companies and make a profit while not paying for electricity.

At present, solar panels are expensive to buy, but this will change as more people buy them, just like any other technology.

For the environment, I would guess that solar energy is almost completely harmless. I don’t know what kind of chemicals that are required for making solar panels, but once they are produced, solar energy uses a virtually unlimited energy source that is clean to harvest and gives off no emissions.