The Pros and Cons of Solar Power

Solar energy has become increasingly popular in the last few decades. It’s no wonder why, as solar energy is our planet’s most abundant energy resource. In fact, 173,000 terawatts (TW) of solar energy are always hitting Earth at any given time. This is 10,000 times more power than our planet’s total energy usage. However, there are still some things holding people back from adopting solar power. In this article, we’ll share the pros and cons of solar power.

The Pros of Solar Power

• Environmentally Friendly - Solar power offers a sustainable, renewable source of energy. This means you can limit your reliance on fossil fuels and reduce your carbon footprint. Solar energy allows you to get the power you need in a clean manner, and helps to limit your impact on the planet.
  
• Saves Money - Solar power also saves money in the long run. While the upfront costs can be high, converting to solar will end up paying for itself over the years by no longer having to pay for electricity. You can even make extra money from it when you transfer the energy you don’t use back into the grid.
  
• Energy Independence - Speaking of the grid, using solar power allows you to completely remove yourself from it. If you live somewhere that gets adequate sunlight year-round and can store the energy you collect, you can completely cut yourself off from the electric grid and not have to rely on anyone else for your energy needs.
• Low-Maintenance - Solar power is also beneficial because the systems are low-maintenance and can last for a long time. In fact, most solar panels last for around 25 years, with others lasting even longer than that. 
• Helps the Community - Converting to solar power can also help your community. As mentioned earlier, when you collect more solar energy than you need, you can transfer it back into the grid. This helps to reduce the strain of electricity demands, avoid price hikes, and make electricity cheaper for others in your area.

The Cons of Solar Power

• Location - One con of solar power is that it is weather dependent, and there are some areas around the globe that don’t get very much sunlight. Therefore, solar power wouldn’t be very beneficial in those locations, and probably wouldn’t make sense to install due to inadequate sunlight. However, there are solar panels that can still absorb sunlight even in cloudy conditions, but they will produce energy at a lower efficiency.
  
• Cost - The main con or downside of using solar power is the cost associated with it. It can cost thousands of dollars to install solar panels for your home, and it will take a while before they pay themselves off in terms of electricity savings. It’s even more expensive if you plan to store the energy you collect for when you need it later, usually using battery banks.

While they are listed as “cons,” these two points are actually more limitations for solar power. Some areas will not be very conducive to generating their own solar power simply because they don’t get enough sunlight, but imported solar energy is being pursued as a way to use excess solar energy in certain grids and extend solar energy access to those living in locations with inadequate sunlight. Additionally, the cost of solar power will continue to decrease as the technology becomes more advanced and widely available, meaning that solar will be more accessible to an increasing number of people around the world moving forward.

The Elumis Foundation believes that no child should be left in the dark. Our goal is to use solar kits to bring light to families and children around the world who don’t have access to electricity. With the renewable power of the sun, we can change the lives of people all around the world, give them opportunities they wouldn’t have without access to electricity, and help our planet in the process. Find out how you can get involved and help us make a difference today!

About the Elumis Foundation

The Elumis Foundation is a certified non-profit organization that was created in 2018 by siblings Eva and Michael Sakellakis (ages 15 and 13), looking to make a difference. Their father, who has his own successful solar business Elumis, helped and inspired them to form the foundation. Together they formed a Non-Profit 501(c)3 organization. This allows all donations to be tax-deductible by the donors. 100% of all donations received will fund the distribution of solar kits to be given to families who do not have electricity in impoverished areas of the world.

Elumis’ goal is to bring light to families and kids without that privilege through solar kits. These solar kits are powered through solar panels and can provide light and electricity for a family for up to 24 continuous hours. The Foundation has already made its first donation of 1000 solar kits in Vietnam and plans to distribute more kits to third-world countries throughout Africa, South East Asia, Central America, and India. Our goal is to distribute at least 100,000 kits to families in need.