The Accessibility and Appeal of Solar Tech
One of the aspects of solar energy technology that makes it a better worldwide energy solution than other renewable sources like wind or hydro power is its portability and applicability in a wide variety of scenarios. You can put solar panels on buildings, billboards, vehicles, in large open fields, and anywhere else they can be exposed to the sun and connected to a power grid. Because of their utility, it seems like solar panels should be everywhere right now. Their lack of widespread use can be attributed to their poor accessibility and appeal.
Accessibility for the Individual
Despite the ongoing attempts of countless scientists to reduce the cost of PV technology, the initial investment into solar panels is still expensive. If the typical American family, which spends about $121 a month on electricity, were to purchase Tesla solar panels and the Tesla Powerwalls required to operate them, they would need to pay anywhere between $17,000-$33,000 depending on the energy incentives of their state and power company. That’s between 9-18 percent of the average annual household income in America. Because of the steep cost, the price of solar panels and batteries act as a deterrent for potential consumers.
After solar panels are purchased, however, they can’t immediately pay back the investment either. Owners of solar technology make their money back over many years, as their electricity bill is reduced and they make money by selling excess electricity to power companies. Many households cannot afford to wait for their energy investment to pay itself back.
In no way do I mean to discourage people from investing in solar technology - it’s incredibly important that we all make the switch to solar one day, and I encourage those who can to do so. As of right now, however, it’s not an easy investment for most households to make.
The price of Tesla solar appliances without potential state incentives.
The price of Tesla solar appliances including potential state incentives.
Image: Tesla
Image: Tesla
Accessibility for Companies
The ib vogt solar park "Infinity 50" located near the village of Benban in Egypt.
Image: ib vogt
In a perfect world, large energy companies would replace their natural gas and coal powered electricity plants with solar energy technology, but in 2021 this is not realistic. The price to purchase or manufacture, transport, and install enough solar arrays would be impossibly expensive. This is not just because of the general cost of solar technology, but the quantity of tech that would be needed.
The successful German solar company ib vogt, for example, has installed many of the world’s largest solar parks. In each of these parks, an average of 10 solar panels are needed to provide clean energy for a single household. If Con Edison, a large energy company in New York, were to purchase and install 10 solar panels for each of its 3.4 million customers (excluding commercial and state-owned buildings), it would require roughly 34 million panels. Try fitting that in your backyard.
In case you were wondering how much space it would actually take to make the US completely reliant on solar energy (because I definitely am), let's go through the math. First, we must establish two important data points:
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Commercial solar panels are generally around 21 square feet.
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There were approximately 122 million US households in 2019.
Based off the ib vogt example, which tells us that an average of 10 solar panels are needed to power one household, we can conclude that if every US energy company were to completely transition to solar technology, they would need a combined 919 square miles of solar panels. Though 919 square miles is an extremely large area, it doesn’t even make up 1% of the size of Wyoming. The problem for energy companies would be the purchase and installation of about 1.122 billion solar panels, and the mass transportation of electricity from solar parks to customers.
Appeal
The limited appeal of solar tech is another factor that has hindered the industry. Most consumers don’t want solar panels covering their homes or businesses because of how bland and unappealing they can look. In an attempt to increase solar technology’s appeal to customers, companies like Tesla have created ways to make solar cells more visually appealing, like incorporating them into roof shingles. More information on the Tesla Solar Roof can be found in the section Increasing the Appeal of Solar Technology.
The dimensions of a typical commercial solar panel.
Image: JC Solar Panels PTY
A Tesla Solar Roof.
References
Electric Cars, Solar Panels & Clean Energy Storage, www.tesla.com/energy/design.
“How Much Do Solar Panels Save? Solar Savings by State: EnergySage.” EnergySage, news.energysage.com/much-solar-panels-save/.
“Infinity 50 for Renewable Energy.” Detail - Ib Vogt, www.ibvogt.com/home/portfolio/projects/detail.html?tx_datamintsibvogtreferences_pi1%5Breference%5D=866&cHash=7991795a44b1cef74dec02dfd77451ae.
“Solar Panels ⋆ JC Solar Panels ⋆ Solar Panel Information.” JC Solar Panels, 16 Nov. 2020, jcsolarpanels.co.za/solar-panels/.