The idea of using renewable energy resources more is catching on for many people. This is partly because of the environmental problems, like global warming, that traditional energy resources are thought to impact on. A more tangible factor for many people is the rising costs of traditional energy resources. The costs are rising partly because the resources are getting scarcer and partly because of political problems. One such renewable resource that has been used for a few years now is solar power. This article will detail the advantages and disadvantages of solar power.

The Sun's energy can provide our homes with power. Sunlight can also be used as an energy source for many of our increasingly ubiquitous personal devices, like laptops, mobile phones and personal entertainment systems. The first advantage of solar power is that it is a clean way to generate energy. Although there are carbon footprints created by the production of solar panels, once the solar panels are creating power it is clean power.

Using such systems also cuts down on pollution. It does not contribute to the greenhouse gas emissions. It does not pollute the water supply.

Solar power systems are built to last. This is more important for home solar power systems where there is quite a large initial investment. However, even on portable devices like watches or calculators, the solar recharging will last the lifetime of the device.

Maintenance of solar power systems are generally low. In most cases only the moving parts of the system will wear out and need replacing. The solar panels will get less and less efficient over time but it is estimated that good panels will stay 80% efficient for up to 25 years.

Home solar power systems are not complicated or dangerous to run for the average person. In fact, if they are part of a net metering scheme with a utility company, most of the complexity is worn by the utility company.

There are certainly a few negative aspects of using solar power. Before consumers can have any solar power, they have to make a large investment on the equipment and installation. They will make up this investment over the life of the solar power system but this large up front sum can deter many people. There are more grants and incentives being introduced to minimize this deterrent to getting solar energy.

Not withstanding the costs of setting up a solar system, the biggest problem is reliability. Solar power is not suitable in certain locations where there is not much sunlight year round or the weather conditions block out the Sun. And a solar system will only be operational during the day when the Sun is out so this means it can only generate power for 12-14 hours a day depending on the time of year.

As Solar power is perceived as being unreliable, many governments are not as committed to it as a way to mass produce energy. Instead they see nuclear power as a better choice in terms of reliability.

However for the individual homeowner that can afford the initial costs, it is becoming increasingly viable to install solar power systems in the home. It should always be part of a few methods of deriving power for the home. Generally it is part of the grid tie system whereby the home can use the solar power it creates or use standard grid power if the weather is not conducive to solar power generation.