How efficient is Renewable Energy?

Solar energy is a very commonly-used form of renewable energy, which became available to homes in the 1970’s but are rapidly increasing in popularity now. However, how efficient is this form of renewable energy? The Medium article by Vincent Tabora (2019) elaborates on how solar energy is not as efficient as we think.

Solar panels are used with “arrays of PV (photovoltaic cells)… electrons are then used to generate DC (direct current) that passes through an inverter that converts it to AC (alternating current)” (Tabora, 2019). Solar panels, in essence, capture the sun’s energy and convert it to what we know as electricity. Though it sounds foolproof, Tabora explains how the National Renewable Energy Laboratory specifies which areas are best for solar power. Not all places give the best energy band for solar power, meaning that the climate is one of the key factors of efficiency of solar panels. Additionally, the conversion of energy is a loss of panel performance, due to wiring and heat loss. The average panel ranges from 22% to 29% efficiency.

Another key factor is the installation cost and evaluating the return on investment depending on the household. Most homeowners supplement their current electricity source with solar panels, instead of solely relying on the solar panels themselves. This is because going completely off the grid “requires installing more solar panels that could meet that value… and varies among homeowners because not everyone has the same amount of space to install that many solar panels” (Tabora, 2019).

Solar panels have evolved in efficiency and scalability, and these changes are reducing the carbon footprint, despite the slow progress in efficiency. Tabora (2019) also mentions that reports have shown an excess of power generation than what’s being consumed. Because of this, solar energy isn’t being sold back to the power grid, which is a positive indication that there is less frequent need for the grid as a power source. The author also mentions that the California Energy Commission is mandating solar panels for newly constructed homes, beginning in 2020.

There is a clear direction based on research that solar panels are indeed reducing the amount of stress placed on the grid as what was before, the sole resource for energy. The uprise of solar panels as a provider of renewable energy is a way for consumers to all reduce our global carbon footprint, despite the inefficiency of solar panels. There’s constant innovation in efficiency and scalability, which will help improve and increase the use of solar panels in the upcoming years.

Citations

Tabora, V. (2019, September 23). Solar Energy — Renewable, But Just Needs More Efficiency. Medium. https://medium.com/0xmachina/solar-energy-renewable-but-just-needs-more-efficiency-dd2747cb9e56