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The downsides and future of solar panels
By Andrey Demiyanov, Jordan News
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AMMAN — At Jordan News, we are certain that no one needs an introduction to the modern-day solar panel. With the first sustainable model developed in 1954 by Daryl Chapin, solar panels have undergone many iterations over the years, leading to increased efficiency that now make them a semi-viable option for generating additional power to assist with electricity bills. اضافة اعلان
However, you could be forgiven for assuming that solar panels are the definite way forward, as wind energy has proven to have significant downsides to its surrounding ecosystem, as well having its efficiency being entirely reliant on atmospheric changes. Solar panels do indeed rely on the intensity of the sun’s rays and once a location is decided upon, the likelihood of there being less solar energy available is proportionally lower than the odds of there not being enough wind.
However, solar panels have significant downsides that many fail to consider. In this report, Jordan News will go into detail on just how effective modern day solar panels are, their affordability, and return on investment, and whether or not readers should consider purchasing them within the foreseeable future.
Solar Energy: Maximizing the potency of our environment
Solar energy, unlike wind or water assisted generators, is significantly easier to implement on a small-scale basis. Every person, even you, can go out into the market and purchase retail-grade solar panels and power banks that are able to store the energy generated by the panels.
While solar panels are no cheap commodity, they are still significantly more accessible than many other sources of energy.
According to the International Energy Agency, an organization that collects detailed information on the growth of sustainable energy projects around the world, solar energy contributed upwards of 29 percent of total energy generated around the world via sustainable resources in 2020.
This is a significant uptick over 2019, where the energy total was marked at 27 percent — a clear indication that the technology is not only here to stay, but is in fact growing in popularity and accessibility for many around the world.
Jordan has a much more favorable climate for solar panels, with approximately 310 days of sunshine a year. While weather conditions do impact the suitability of solar panels, this is still a considerable amount of days, unlike many other countries that experience a better-rounded shift in the seasons.
So why aren’t more people looking to join the ecosystem and start saving on electricity bills?
The downsides environmentalists often miss
Solar panels, or photovoltaic panels as they are more formally known, are made of primarily three components — glass, lead, and cadmium, the latter two being carcinogens. While this isn’t an issue during the creation of the solar panels, we are now beginning to experience the decommissioning of the first wave of solar panels from the early 2000s, and it is clear that recycling these materials is going to be a problem.
For starters, there is a direct cost involved in disposing these materials safely, and the result is that many photovoltaic panels are simply left to be buried in landfills, which completely negates the argument for solar panel’s sustainability. Cadmium for instance is released into rainwater seeping through the earth, and ends up polluting the surrounding area.
The production of solar panels also damages the environment, with the main source of energy for its production coming from fossil fuels. Additionally, hydrofluoric acid and sodium hydroxide are used in the process as well, which require careful treatment and disposal after production, further increasing costs if done the right way, or leading to further pollution if dumped.
Last but not least, minerals that are used in the creation of solar panels are gathered through mining, with the majority of the 19 minerals used in panel creation being sufficiently rare. Due to their rarity, (and now increased demand with more solar power distribution), industrial mining corporations around the world have further incentive to increase mining operations, which damages the environment.
Additionally, the rarest of the ores, indium, is considered to be so rare that it there simply isn’t thought to be enough of it to see the green revolution through to its very end.
However, while things may look dark, there’s plenty of light at the end of the tunnel.
Just how much energy can I get?
While the previous statements may make solar panels seem like a bad investment, they are by no means inferior to traditional fossil fuels. Domestic solar panels that are available for average consumers can generate as much as 400Kw/h, with many falling on average between the ranges of 300–350 watts.
For reference, this would be enough to charge a phone, your average laptop, or a fan for cooling. This is; however, based on the use of a single solar panel and in order to understand if solar panels would be the way forward, you need identify the key areas around your home, measure their energy consumption per hour, and find solar panels that generate enough power to fuel them.
However, an average home can expect 1–3 panels to be enough to power the majority of their devices, with the panels preferably placed on the roof of a building to maximize access to sunlight.
Return on investment
Every country (and even most regions within a single country), have varying costs of electricity. In 2020, Jordanian electricity cost on average JD0.071 Kw/h for households and JD0.087 for businesses. An average solar panel generates roughly between 2–2.5Kw/h per day assuming that the sun shines for 8 hours straight.
The solar panels used for this calculation were actually incredibly affordable, costing roughly JD97 in total for a single panel that generates on average 2–2.5 Kw/h per day.
Therefore, with some quick math, we are able to determine that if you were to purchase a relatively cheap solar panel such as the one used, you would be looking at a return on investment in 607.2 days on average, or just slightly under 2 years to be exact. General life expectancy of such solar panels range between 6 and 8 years, meaning that you would in fact profit JD500on average during the panel’s lifecycle.
While not necessarily grandiose in its savings, nor able to generate enough power to successfully run all electricals in a house, consider that multiple solar panels can power many of the appliances in your home.
Pair that with batteries made for storing said power, and you can even continue to do so throughout your evening activities.
This calculation doesn’t take into account the price of an inverter and a battery bank as the prices for those are significantly more scattered, but usually just as affordable as the panels themselves.
(Photo: Jordan News)
Is it worth it?
As mentioned, purely from an environmental perspective, the waters are still murky with regards to just how impactful the disposal of solar panels will be. However, there is no guarantee that within the foreseeable future methods of disposal or perhaps even full recyclability will be developed in order to offset the amount of harm that solar panel decommissioning will have.
For the financially concerned, there is a genuine argument to be made in favor of this technology. There are continuous developments into photovoltaic panels being done all around the world, and as long as the panels are cared for, they will net a profit by the end of their life cycle.
However, we do know one thing — renewable energy developments will continue to offset the overall impact that mankind has had and will continue to have on the planet, and over time solutions to the aforementioned problems will be developed.
A more precise answer would be that yes, provided you aren’t planning to move anytime soon and you can currently afford investing some JD100 into a more sustainable and cheaper alternative to fossil fuel generated electricity, it would be worth investing in solar panels.
Read more Lifestyle
However, you could be forgiven for assuming that solar panels are the definite way forward, as wind energy has proven to have significant downsides to its surrounding ecosystem, as well having its efficiency being entirely reliant on atmospheric changes. Solar panels do indeed rely on the intensity of the sun’s rays and once a location is decided upon, the likelihood of there being less solar energy available is proportionally lower than the odds of there not being enough wind.
However, solar panels have significant downsides that many fail to consider. In this report, Jordan News will go into detail on just how effective modern day solar panels are, their affordability, and return on investment, and whether or not readers should consider purchasing them within the foreseeable future.
Solar Energy: Maximizing the potency of our environment
Solar energy, unlike wind or water assisted generators, is significantly easier to implement on a small-scale basis. Every person, even you, can go out into the market and purchase retail-grade solar panels and power banks that are able to store the energy generated by the panels.
While solar panels are no cheap commodity, they are still significantly more accessible than many other sources of energy.
According to the International Energy Agency, an organization that collects detailed information on the growth of sustainable energy projects around the world, solar energy contributed upwards of 29 percent of total energy generated around the world via sustainable resources in 2020.
This is a significant uptick over 2019, where the energy total was marked at 27 percent — a clear indication that the technology is not only here to stay, but is in fact growing in popularity and accessibility for many around the world.
Jordan has a much more favorable climate for solar panels, with approximately 310 days of sunshine a year. While weather conditions do impact the suitability of solar panels, this is still a considerable amount of days, unlike many other countries that experience a better-rounded shift in the seasons.
So why aren’t more people looking to join the ecosystem and start saving on electricity bills?
The downsides environmentalists often miss
Solar panels, or photovoltaic panels as they are more formally known, are made of primarily three components — glass, lead, and cadmium, the latter two being carcinogens. While this isn’t an issue during the creation of the solar panels, we are now beginning to experience the decommissioning of the first wave of solar panels from the early 2000s, and it is clear that recycling these materials is going to be a problem.
For starters, there is a direct cost involved in disposing these materials safely, and the result is that many photovoltaic panels are simply left to be buried in landfills, which completely negates the argument for solar panel’s sustainability. Cadmium for instance is released into rainwater seeping through the earth, and ends up polluting the surrounding area.
The production of solar panels also damages the environment, with the main source of energy for its production coming from fossil fuels. Additionally, hydrofluoric acid and sodium hydroxide are used in the process as well, which require careful treatment and disposal after production, further increasing costs if done the right way, or leading to further pollution if dumped.
Last but not least, minerals that are used in the creation of solar panels are gathered through mining, with the majority of the 19 minerals used in panel creation being sufficiently rare. Due to their rarity, (and now increased demand with more solar power distribution), industrial mining corporations around the world have further incentive to increase mining operations, which damages the environment.
Additionally, the rarest of the ores, indium, is considered to be so rare that it there simply isn’t thought to be enough of it to see the green revolution through to its very end.
However, while things may look dark, there’s plenty of light at the end of the tunnel.
Just how much energy can I get?
While the previous statements may make solar panels seem like a bad investment, they are by no means inferior to traditional fossil fuels. Domestic solar panels that are available for average consumers can generate as much as 400Kw/h, with many falling on average between the ranges of 300–350 watts.
For reference, this would be enough to charge a phone, your average laptop, or a fan for cooling. This is; however, based on the use of a single solar panel and in order to understand if solar panels would be the way forward, you need identify the key areas around your home, measure their energy consumption per hour, and find solar panels that generate enough power to fuel them.
However, an average home can expect 1–3 panels to be enough to power the majority of their devices, with the panels preferably placed on the roof of a building to maximize access to sunlight.
Return on investment
Every country (and even most regions within a single country), have varying costs of electricity. In 2020, Jordanian electricity cost on average JD0.071 Kw/h for households and JD0.087 for businesses. An average solar panel generates roughly between 2–2.5Kw/h per day assuming that the sun shines for 8 hours straight.
The solar panels used for this calculation were actually incredibly affordable, costing roughly JD97 in total for a single panel that generates on average 2–2.5 Kw/h per day.
Therefore, with some quick math, we are able to determine that if you were to purchase a relatively cheap solar panel such as the one used, you would be looking at a return on investment in 607.2 days on average, or just slightly under 2 years to be exact. General life expectancy of such solar panels range between 6 and 8 years, meaning that you would in fact profit JD500on average during the panel’s lifecycle.
While not necessarily grandiose in its savings, nor able to generate enough power to successfully run all electricals in a house, consider that multiple solar panels can power many of the appliances in your home.
Pair that with batteries made for storing said power, and you can even continue to do so throughout your evening activities.
This calculation doesn’t take into account the price of an inverter and a battery bank as the prices for those are significantly more scattered, but usually just as affordable as the panels themselves.
(Photo: Jordan News)
Is it worth it?
As mentioned, purely from an environmental perspective, the waters are still murky with regards to just how impactful the disposal of solar panels will be. However, there is no guarantee that within the foreseeable future methods of disposal or perhaps even full recyclability will be developed in order to offset the amount of harm that solar panel decommissioning will have.
For the financially concerned, there is a genuine argument to be made in favor of this technology. There are continuous developments into photovoltaic panels being done all around the world, and as long as the panels are cared for, they will net a profit by the end of their life cycle.
However, we do know one thing — renewable energy developments will continue to offset the overall impact that mankind has had and will continue to have on the planet, and over time solutions to the aforementioned problems will be developed.
A more precise answer would be that yes, provided you aren’t planning to move anytime soon and you can currently afford investing some JD100 into a more sustainable and cheaper alternative to fossil fuel generated electricity, it would be worth investing in solar panels.
Read more Lifestyle
