This article was originally published on September 13th, 2021. Updated September 13th, 2024. 

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What Are The Disadvantages of Solar Energy?

What are the pros and cons of PV solar energy? What’s to love? What’s not to love?! As renewable energy sources become more affordable and accessible than ever, homeowners and business alike are weighing up solar power advantages and disadvantages – and there’s plenty to consider.

At Caldor Solar, we’re somewhat biased when it comes to talking about solar energy. As one of Ireland’s leading solar power installers, we’ve seen the real and lasting benefits it can bring homeowners, business and communities – and we’re excited to see more and more people across Ireland making the switch to solar technology.

Still, we’re well aware that solar energy isn’t perfect. Because although there are lots of positives – like cheaper bills, a more comfortable, energy-efficient home and the warm feeling of reducing your carbon footprint – there are negatives to solar power energy, too.

So in this article, we’ll address the question of solar power from both sides – highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy. We’ll focus on:

• 5 disadvantages of solar panels: And how the cons of solar power can be tackled
• 5 advantages of solar panels: And how they trump the negatives of solar energy
• Are PV panels really worth it? Based on these solar system advantages and disadvantages

We believe the numerous upsides outweigh any downsides of solar energy. But before we get to all those upsides, let’s discuss what to expect when installing a Solar PV system, and a few disadvantages of solar panels you might encounter.

5 Disadvantages of Solar Energy

1. Cost

Pricing has long been seen as one of the main negatives to solar energy. After all, installing a solar system in your home can be a big financial investment. 

Fortunately, as the technology becomes more popular, the price of installing solar panels has dropped in recent years. The Irish government is also offering special grants and green incentives in a bid to help more communities switch to this cleaner energy source: for instance, homeowners can apply for up to €2,100 through the SEAI while businesses can apply for up to €162,600 (that’s called the Non-Domestic Microgen Grant, or NDMG).

Even so, homeowners in a 3-bedroom, semi-detatched home can still expect to spend anywhere between €3,000–€15,000 on a Solar PV system. That includes solar panels, an inverter, batteries (if required) and the cost of installation itself. 

It’s a wide range, and how much you’ll spend on your panels depends largely on:

• the type you choose
• your available roof space
• the number of panels you’ll be installing
• your home’s orientation and design
• your energy consumption levels

With 450 solar companies in the industry right now, quotes vary widely – but remember, cheapest doesn’t always mean best. Your solar panels will be around for decades, after all – at least, they should be – so you’re better off getting a high-quality system and working with an experienced installation company to get the most value from your investment.

Caldor Solar have been leading the solar power industry in Ireland since 2015. We’ve worked with almost 5,000 properties around the country, installing the best-quality panels on their roofs – and, unlike many other “fit-and-forget” providers, we stick around to offer ongoing technical support and maintenance when needed. 

With Caldor Solar, installation costs run from €4,000 to €12,000: including all the materials you’ll need to get you up and running with solar power, plus expert support that lasts long after installation.

2. Can Be Restrictive

Unfortunately, you can’t capture solar energy at night – and even though you can still make use of sunlight during cloudy or rainy days, your power output may be reduced. Doesn’t sound like good news for those of us who are used to Irish “summers”, right? In fact, the prospect of relying on sunlight in Ireland can actually seem quite daunting and you may see it as a real downside of solar panels.

But the good news is, energy can still be captured during rainy or cloudy weather – as we explain in this post, it’s more about light than heat anyway. And we do receive plenty of light in Ireland! Still, solar panels can be a little restrictive in that they are daytime and weather dependent (at least, for best performance). 

Which is why, once again, it’s important to work with an experienced installation company: they can advise you on the best system for your home and where to place your panels: so you can soak up the most light possible, whatever the weather.

3. Needs Storage

Solar panel batteries might be a worthwhile investment if you live in a part of Ireland that gets a) less light and b) more rainy or cloudy weather. Because with a storage battery, you can store the energy your panels produce on sunny days and use that energy in less favorable conditions, or at night.

Batteries also help correct the imbalance between energy supply and demand in your household. Since solar panels produce energy throughout the day (peaking in the middle of the day, when your home might be empty), a battery helps you to direct this power to a time when you need it most (for example, for morning showers or watching TV at night). If you’re a business, this may be less of a concern but a storage battery can be a real asset to homeowners…if, of course, they can afford one.

Your chosen installer can help you to choose a system that makes sense for you and your budget: whether that includes a battery or using grid energy at night and solar panel power during the day. With their advice, you can avoid wasted energy and enjoy more positives than negatives of solar energy.

4. Takes Up Space

If you want to cover your energy consumption with solar, you’ll need a fair amount of panels. To give you an idea, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) reports that the average home in Ireland uses 4,200 kWh of electricity a year. So if you’re installing a 400 watt solar panel and a 4kW system size, you might need around 10 panels to generate enough energy to meet your household’s needs.

Of course, you could choose less panels to cover a smaller portion of your energy consumption instead. But as you’re investing anyway, it makes more sense to cover as much as you can for more savings long-term. Plus, we’d recommend installing as many panels as your roof will safely allow: as the more you install, the cheaper each solar panel becomes.

One solar panel disadvantage, therefore, is that when taken as part of a big system like this, it can become a little bulky. If you want to produce more energy, you’ll need more space. And if you choose to get a solar battery too, you’ll need extra space for that. 

Don’t worry, if space is an issue, that doesn’t mean you need to back away from solar energy altogether. Once again, a good installation company can assess your space and help you to choose a system that suits your needs – in some cases, ground-mounted solar panels might be the right call.

5. Linked To Pollution

Although solar power is fast-developing as one of Ireland’s greenest, most sustainable energy sources, it isn’t 100% clean energy. Because unfortunately, the transportation and installation of solar systems involve the emission of greenhouse gases – plus some of the materials used during the manufacturing process can indirectly affect the environment, too.

Still, this “means to an end” does produce a pretty promising result! Using solar power is FAR better than relying on fossil fuels in so many ways and – more good news – over their 25–30 year lifespan, your panels will produce enough clean energy to offset the energy involved during manufacturing, transportation and installation processes. Phew!

5 Advantages of Solar Power

1. Renewable Energy Source

Recent news headlines have included alarming reports of where the world sits in relation to pollution and global warming. “Climate change” is now being referred to as “the climate crisis” and rightly so – because we’re taught to embrace change, whereas we should act in times of crisis.

If you’ve been thinking what your role in all of this could be, switching to a renewable energy source like solar is a pretty major move. And it’s something that could be accessible to everybody, one day – as solar energy can be captured in all parts of the world and is available every day. This cannot be said of all energy sources, even other renewable ones. Which makes solar power pretty special.

And while there is an end point to solar potential – basically, when the sun dies – we have at least 5 billion years to keep soaking up its many benefits.

2. Lower Electricity Bills

Of course, contributing to a more sustainable future is an attractive prospect. But you may be wondering, how can your home or business benefit in the meantime? Well, simply put, if solar energy is covering a portion of your energy needs, your energy bills will drop. Just by how much depends on the size of the solar system you’ve installed and the amount of electricity you use – but imagine, one day you could even power your home entirely with solar!

What’s more, if you happen to generate a lot of electricity and you don’t use it all, you can even use your stored energy to sell back to the national grid. As of December 2021, the Micro-Generation Scheme has given communities the opportunity to earn an additional income source from unused electricity – for instance, homeowners can earn up to €400 per person named on the electricity bill, tax-free, per year. Known as the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG), this payment is available to all renewable energy generators in Ireland when they export electricity back to the grid.

3. Lots of Uses

Did you know that solar energy can be used to generate heat (solar thermal) as well as electricity (photovoltaics)? Well, it can! Solar PV panels are a multi-purpose power source, which can even be used in places without access to the energy grid – for example, in space, to power satellites.

Closer to home, solar energy can be used throughout the Earth: including regions with limited access to clean water supplies, where it can be used to distill water. Plus, with advancements in solar technology and materials – like transparent solar energy windows – its potential for a positive impact around the world gets even more exciting.

4. Minimal Maintenance

Although the upfront cost may cause you to flinch, you can relax those shoulders and enjoy a smile – because after installation, there’s really very little you have to do, or spend, to keep your solar panels lasting for decades.

Luckily, with no moving parts or concerns about wear and tear, a solar energy system requires minimal maintenance to keep performing during their lifespan. Try to take care of your PV system as you would your windows – for the best “view” (ie, output), keep them unobstructed, free from debris or dirt and either clean them yourself, occasionally, or have them cleaned by a professional.

At Caldor Solar, our ongoing customer support, technical advice and maintenance help us to stand out in an industry of 450 solar installers. The homeowners and businesses we’ve supported know that their Solar PV systems pretty much look after themselves – being of the best quality, of course – but that they can call us if they ever need a little TLC. 

5. Continuously Improving

We’ve touched on this already but it’s an important point to bear in mind: solar technology has already made significant improvements over the past number of years – and there continues to be ongoing advancements within the industry.

On local, national and international levels, communities and leaders are investing in solar as one of the cleanest, greenest, energy sources around. With innovations in quantum physics and nanotechnology, it’s also a source that can be harnessed at scale: as solar panels become more effective, and systems look to double their electrical output (at least!)

Although we’ve listed 5 disadvantages of solar energy, our belief is that with these advancements, many (if not all!) of these drawbacks will become obsolete. So really, investing in a solar panel system now can only be a good thing: and it’s the perfect time to see the light.

Final Thoughts: Are Solar Panels Worth It?

The best things in life may be free – but even a great solution like solar power comes at a price.

Maybe one day we’ll all be able to live off-grid. But for most of us, this isn’t an option – so solar power is a great alternative in the meantime. And while there are certainly drawbacks involved and improvements to be made, it seems as though the industry is moving in the right direction.

We hope you’ve seen that for every solar panel disadvantage we’ve listed, there’s an upside, or at least, something that can be done to lessen its effect. And that every solar panel advantage we’ve shared can have a real, lasting impact: on your household, business, and community (not to mention the earth as a whole!)

So even though solar power comes with its own cost, intermittency and dependence issues (don’t we all?!), its numerous benefits – as a renewable energy source, with free electricity, lower energy bills, more energy control and one that’s kinder to the environment – should prove it a worthwhile choice.

Of course, the best person to decide whether solar power is the right choice for your needs is you. So we’d encourage you to weigh up these pros and cons against your specific circumstances to see whether solar is the best kind of energy for your property. 

Our team would be happy to chat to you about this sustainable energy source, its bright future in the transition to a more environmentally conscious world, and how you personally can benefit from solar power: now, and long into the future. To find out more, or arrange a free on-site assessment, drop us a message or give us a call: 01 25 333 49.

 

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ABOUT CALDOR SOLAR

Caldor Solar are solar power pioneers in Ireland, specialising in both residential and commercial solar panels. Check out our testimonials and online reviews to learn more. Or chat with us on 01 253 3349 for a personalised quote.