It is the most abundant continuous energy source on earth and it is free. It does take some work and investment to harness the energy and convert it to a usable form; however, it is getting easier and cheaper to do every year. It is now cheaper than most other energy sources and will be cheaper that all of them within the next few years. So why opposes it?
The most common and rational reason is that it displaces existing industry and it is financially disruptive to the status quo. Change is not beneficial to those who have invested in conventional energy sources. That is reasonable and we see many leaders in the energy industry have diversified their investment to include solar energy technologies.
Another common yet clandestine reason is that anyone can own solar energy. If anyone can own the energy then people have control over energy that has been under the control of utilities and other powerful entities. If you are in a position of power, one of your jobs is to maintain that power and there lies the real problem and objection to solar energy.
There are others who oppose solar energy who are not in a position of power but they are just parroting propaganda pushed out by those who are in power and oppose solar. Parroting is common among some supporters as well. It occurs with a person because of their common association instead of their own critical thinking.
Solar energy should win-out in the near future due to nothing else but cost. But if low cost doesn’t mean good profits to the established players in the energy industry, low cost won’t matter and it won’t win-out. Think energy integration rather than energy replacement.
Utilities are integrating solar into their distributed energy mix now. With energy integration you see a certain amount of conventional energy displacement. What is unlikely to see is complete replacement. A diver energy mix is more reliable and will keep the utilities in play.
Commercial customers integrate solar to reduce energy demand and add storage to smooth out expensive energy peaks; this also helps the utility with costly load demand fluctuations.
Residential customers now have the ability to integrate solar in the same way commercial customers do by using solar with smart energy storage systems. When properly programed, these systems can benefit the utility load demand; however, there is too much inconsistency with how these systems are setup and utilities are skeptical about residential solar.
The tools are there to fix the problem; we just need better communication and understanding of all parties involved.
Our PV224 course covers solar PV system with energy storage extensively. If you are just entering the solar industry, see our PV201 & PV224 course bundle on the PV224 page.
Kelly Provence
Solairgen School of Solar Technology
