Solar energy is becoming more and more popular as a source of household energy in many countries around the world. Why is this? What are the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy?

With the dawn of the 21st century, the usage of renewable

energy

resources

such

as solar

energy

is gaining momentum across the globe, especially in domestic households. Considerably, there are enormous merits to

this

trend along with some disadvantages that cannot be overlooked. One of the reasons for the increasing popularity of products that utilise solar

energy

is due to the fact that the production of

power

from non-renewable resources

such

as coal and crude oil will be less viable in the future due to their availability.

This

is due to the overconsumption that has led to the reduction of their reserves apart from the high costs that are quoted by various countries which hold these reserves.

Moreover

, the utilization of these

energy

sources results in the emission of greenhouse gases, which are responsible for climate change.

Nonetheless

, there are few demerits associated with the application of solar

energy

to homes.

Firstly

,

this

source of

energy

is dependent on weather.

Although

solar

energy

can be harvested during cloudy or rainy days, the efficiency of the system drops significantly.

For instance

, research published in the journal of Renewable

Energy

in 2014 indicated that the production of solar

energy

can drop by 10 to 25 per cent depending on the intensity of clouds over the place where solar equipment is installed.

Secondly

, the initial cost for the procurement and installation of the solar

energy

system is fairly high.

On the other hand

, one of the major merits of using solar

power

is that it will help to fight climate change. The continuous emission of pollutants

such

as carbon dioxide from non-renewable sources warms the planet while causing an abrupt change in the weather pattern.

This

will have a direct impact on health, agriculture and cause natural calamities

such

as wildfires, flooding, droughts, etcetera.

However

, solar

power

is clean

energy

and its use in houses will reduce carbon footprints.

Additionally

,

this

energy

does not contribute to air pollution and is good for biodiversity. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that,

although

there are few demerits associated with solar

power

these problems can be solved through research and development of highly efficient photovoltaic cells.