Tapping the energy of the sun is an idea that has always appealed to man. Since the earliest of times, man has aspired to harness the enormous energy producing capacity of our solar system’s sun. Now the dream is a reality in many places, and solar energy production is likely to grow enormously in the next several years. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of solar energy.

Cons of solar energy

1. Cost. The single biggest barrier to deploying solar energy throughout the USA is the cost. That’s likely to change due to stimulus from the Obama Energy Plan. As more solar panels are produced and installed, the cost of deployment will fall. As the price falls, adoption of the technology increases. Since solar energy is such a big part of the new “green jobs” push, we will most likely see price drops. But for now, the price of solar installations can be prohibitive.
2. Certain geographic areas don’t get enough sunlight to effective produce solar energy.
3. Bad weather hurts solar energy production efficiency. Areas with poor weather that changes frequently might experience difficulty producing enough solar energy.
4. Solar energy production is affected by pollution. In areas with high levels of pollution this could quickly turn into a major headache. If this dimming gets bad enough, it could be “lights out” for solar energy production in the worst areas. “But airborne particles also scatter light that does get through, and that diffuse light cannot be used by solar energy concentrating systems that produce electricity, Daniel Murphy, a scientist at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., reported in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.”

Pros of solar energy

1. Solar energy is renewable and sustainable. The production of solar energy does not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions or contribute to climate change.
2. Solar energy production is quiet. There is not a lot of attendant noise caused by producing solar energy.
3. Solar energy is very effective in areas with high degrees of sunlight. In areas that aren’t blessed with strong natural sun, solar energy technology is rapidly improving. With improvements to storage capacity, the weather will become less of a factor.
4. The solar energy industry can produce jobs. The jobs are not necessarily demanding of great training, so people who are out of work can be re-trained relatively quickly into the “green jobs” offered by the solar energy industry.
5. The cost of electrical production through solar energy is low. The initial startup cost can be expensive, but once you’re up and running the savings on electricity tend to be enormous.

President Barack Obama is sold on the capability of solar energy production. He’s made increasing the solar energy industry into one of the mainstays of his energy policy. For that reason alone the technology is guaranteed to proliferate massively in the next few years.

Solar energy is clean, proven, and can create badly needed jobs right now as the United States re-tools for a “green future.”

Obama has stated that he wants the USA to double the amount of alternative energy production in the next three years. SEIA President Rhone Resch says that the recession is taking a big bite out of solar energy installations, but that could change quickly with a big enough push by the federal government.

“That is going require a substantial ramp up in the use of solar and that doesn’t just happen organically,” he said. If the ramp up occurs, the future is very bright indeed for solar energy.

It’s time to take a look at wind energy pros and cons. This renewable energy supply seems to be very popular with President Obama, and figures into his new Energy Policy in a big way. Enthusiasts about wind energy abound. Western states, in particular, are happy to consider the future of wind energy due to their large abundant supplies of wind.

Pros of Wind Energy

1. Wind energy is cheap to produce. Once the initial cost of a wind turbine is paid for, future energy is free. Of course maintenance will be necessary, but it won’t cost much compared to the energy produced.
2. Wind energy is sustainable and renewable. Wind energy production will not contribute to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions. Wind is sustainable because there’s a virtually limitless supply of the stuff.
3. Wind energy has been in use by man for 5,000 years and has proven reliable in many installations.
4. Wind turbines and wind turbine farms offer economic development opportunities. Wind turbine farms will create jobs. People who install wind turbines in their yards may be able to get their own electrical energy free as well as getting payments from aggregators. Plus the wind energy industry will create jobs for Americans.

Cons of wind energy

1. Wind is not always reliable. On certain days, you may not be able to produce reliable wind energy. Most people have very specific electric needs that must depend on a reliable supply.
2. Wind turbines are damaging or disruptive to animals. Wind turbines tend to be large and ugly structures which aren’t pleasant to look at and may be dangerous to birds or other animals.
3. Wind energy production tends to cost more than producing electrical energy the traditional coal-based way. Costs should tend to go down as more people adapt to wind power.
4. Wind energy is unlikely to replace any but a small amount of our national energy needs. If we’re looking for a way to replace coal-based energy production and we want to do it a relatively short timeframe, then wind energy is probably not the best solution. Wind energy appears to be a part of the solution in specific geographic areas, and that should be good enough to get an active industry moving in the United States.

Wind energy production is being called on to provide more of America’s electrical production in the coming years and that’s a definite step in the right direction. But even proponents have to be realistic about the long term potential for wind energy to completely replace traditional electric production. Wind energy has been around for 5 Millennium, yet only accounts for about 1% of the nation’s energy needs.

Surely that number will grow immensely now that the Obama Energy Policy will soon spring into action.