I have a love-hate relationship with solar.
It’s not the perfect product; it comes with its environmental flaws, especially related to the manufacturing process, which involves mining and processing raw materials like silicon, silver, and rare earth metals. Additionally, many solar panels are manufactured in countries with less stringent environmental regulations.
The upfront investment at the moment is also questionable as the rebates diminish. Government incentives and rebates for solar installations have been decreasing in many regions as the technology becomes more widespread and costs decrease. To add to this, too much solar is causing grid instability, and until we get the infrastructure right it’s difficult to manage.
BUT, it’s a solution we have for now that, if used correctly, can be wildly beneficial. You just need to know how to operate your system.
How?
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BEST USE OF SOLAR DURING THE DAY
The best use of solar is when the sun is out and has a direct feed to your appliances. Do your washing, use your air conditioning, and heat your pools during the day. The feed-in tariff you get per kW is so negligible that it’s definitely not the way to get the most value out of your solar.
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CHARGING YOUR EV
If you have an EV, the best thing you can do is charge your car during the day. It becomes free, of course.
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INSTALL BATTERIES FOR EXCESS ENERGY
Installing batteries for excess energy generated allows you to use this power at night. While the ROI is questionable at the moment, the technology is getting better and better.
Keep in mind, lithium mining comes with its own environmental devastation. Cobalt is also a key ingredient in batteries. You may need to look up cobalt mining in Congo to understand the devastation this has on countries. Do your research, find out where the cobalt is mined and if it’s in your batteries.
The point I’m trying to make is there’s nothing in this world without a bit of give and take. While we dust our hands off and consider ourselves ‘eco’ or ‘green’ warriors, there are still many issues with the renewable industry that need to be considered. This is why research is important, and understanding if your moral obligation will have an influence on your decision-making.
As a society, we are on a journey of trying to do better for the environment. I believe we will never get to the goldilocks zone, as there are always other factors that pivot. But we will always be improving, and the industry will try its best to keep up.
