Fundamental Drawbacks of Solar and Wind Energy

Fundamental Drawbacks of Solar and Wind Energy

The excitement to embrace renewable sources of energy, particularly solar and wind energy, is inspired by a few developments. The rising cost of hydroelectricity, for example, has compelled people to consider solar power as an alternative. On the other hand, environmentalists and conservationists have intensified their campaigns against hydroelectricity and fossil energy sources on claims of pollution and environmental unsustainability. They are now endorsing specific renewable sources of energy, which have become a trending topic of interest. As a result, people are embracing solar and wind energy. Whereas this adoption is commendable, people are unaware that unreliability, cost, and geographical limitations are major drawbacks, making both sources of energy fail to meet the increasing global demand for energy.

The intermittent and weather-reliant characteristics of wind and solar energy make them less reliable for uninterrupted energy supply. While solar energy is available mostly during the day, this resource vanishes during the night. Similarly, wind turbines may not necessarily run throughout since wind can change direction and intensity. According to Zsiborács et al. (2019), the intermittent nature of Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) sources poses a challenge to operators aiming to integrate solar and wind energy into the existing power grid. Although solar and wind energy resources are widespread globally, they pose reliability concerns when the sun stops shining and the wind stops blowing.

Solar and wind energy cannot fully meet energy needs due to cost limitations. According to Shahzad (2016), solar panels are relatively expensive to acquire. One small solar panel is inadequate to generate sufficient energy enough to run a household or a factory. The installation and maintenance costs are high as well (Shahzad, 2016). Cost limitation also affects the adoption of wind power. Shahzad (2016) explains that wind power generation requires a huge initial investment compared to fossil-fuelled generators. For an average homeowner, wind and solar energy are unaffordable. At an industrial scale, the cost of installation and maintenance of these sources of energy is economically unsound. Therefore, the cost factor is a major shortcoming to satisfying the high demand for energy.