Argumentative Essay: Sustainable Types Of Solar Energy

Solar energy is argued to be the most sustainable type of energy there is, but some argue that it isn’t actually as sustainable as others would like to believe. The reason for this is, like with the wind energy, manufacturing the solar panels has some reports call ‘environmental downsides’.
However, it is also considered to be one of the most sustainable energy types because it has two forms – light and heat, both of which are important to us and the wildlife surrounding us. Plants need the light and heat provided by the sun, and humans need it too, for reasons such as maintaining their body temperature, and as it can power their homes and industries. But the other side of the argument is that the manufacturing of the panels isn’t sustainable. However, this idea can be dismissed, because whatever the energy source, there will always be some device required to harness and convert the energy that needs to be manufactured.
Some other reasons it is considered less sustainable are because of the initial cost of the cells.
Each cell can cost around $1000 (American), and there is no guarantee that one cell will be enough to power one home. Generally, several cells are needed, which starts putting up the price of the solar panels. However, this amount should be seen as insignificant because it will just be replacing the power bill with another bill that only needs to be paid once – once solar panels are purchased, they can be moved between properties and they can last long amounts of time due to their reliability and their low maintenance needs. Solar energy is seen to have a disadvantage in the way that it can only be used in the day, but due to modern technology, there are now batteries which can store amounts of solar energy, meaning that a secondary source of energy is not necessary for during the
night.
Solar energy is sustainable from an environmental perspective too. In the next 25 years, a 1.5 kilowatt PV system will keep more than 50,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, and the same solar system will save us needing to burn over 30,000 kilograms of coal. Sustainable energy, by definition, is “the form of energy obtained from non-exhaustible resources, such that the provision of this form of energy serves the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” *wikepedia.com. Solar energy fits all these criteria. It is non-exhaustible as it is a renewable energy source, and we can’t use it up so that none is available to future generations – it is infinite.
Another reason that other energies aren’t as sustainable as solar energy is because they all take up a lot of land that could be used for agricultural purposes etc. Solar panels do not have this sustainability disadvantage because they can be, and almost always are installed on the roofs of the building they are suppling power to. This means that they waste thousands of acres of land as other types of less sustainable energy do.