• Even solar power has disadvantages to be considered.Solar Panel image by kuhar from Fotolia.com
  
  There is a lot of talk about solar energy these days, but it can be confusing to understand exactly what the information we receive means. Is solar power somehow harmful to the environment, or is it a better source of power for the future? In most cases, solar energy is definitely more cost effective over time than fossil fuels, but it is important to weigh the possible adverse effects of solar energy as well, to be certain that such power-generating systems are a move in the right direction.
  
  

No Direct Emissions

• The obvious effect of solar energy production is that there is no direct emission of gases or pollutants. Keep in mind, however, that the creation of photovoltaic panels, which convert radiation to electricity, requires fossil fuels and petroleum by-products, so the carbon footprint of solar energy is not really zero, although it is much lower and does not require an ongoing carbon commitment.
  
  

Hazardous Materials Content

• An Oregon state study on the life cycle of solar panels notes, interestingly, that there are environmentally harmful elements used in the construction of photovoltaic panels. Arsenic, cadmium, and other chemicals are used in the panels themselves, and the batteries used to store the generated power are the same type as used in marine vessels and recreational vehicles, requiring environmentally sensitive disposal. While these dangers are slight, steps that incur costs must be taken to ensure safe disposal.
  
  

Ecological Concerns

• The pro-alternative energy site CoolerPlanet points out that many conservationist groups are concerned about animal habitat depletion. There are concerns that the large spaces required for solar energy production will create habitat problems, but these doubts are often not balanced against the environmental needs of other power-generation facilities. For example, a solar power generation plant requires the destruction of less habitat than a coal-generating station when the land space of the mines producing the coal is added into the equation.
  
  

Water Requirements

• Some institutions, such as Arizona Agricultural University, point out that solar power is not always efficient in terms of water requirements. When energy is generated, one of the by-products is always heat. Large generating systems, even solar power systems, require a cooling system to maintain consistent operation. In some regions, solar power itself may be an affordable energy alternative for consumption, but the cost of cooling the solar plants actually makes using such generating stations prohibitively expensive due to a lack of locally available water.
  
  

Solar Energy Comparison with Fossil Fuels

• By comparison, solar power is still the clear winner, according to ecology.com, in terms of being more environmentally friendly. When solar power generation is matched against fossil fuel-based energy production, solar is less damaging to the earth. Even the dangers that are presented by solar power are found as often, or more so, in the by-products of fossil fuels, and there is no escaping the fact that a solar panel can provide as much as 20 years of power generation for a single carbon investment of manufacturing the system, which cannot be duplicated by any other commonly used type of energy production, other than wind systems.