Wind Power Vs Solar Panel

Let s examine the solar vs wind debate.

Wind power vs solar panel.

Wind turbines can convert nearly half of the wind hitting them into electrical power. However solar is much cheaper upfront and is typically lower maintenance. While impressive the major drawback of wind power is that wind will never blow at the same speed continuously making it hard to predict energy output. That means a 2 kilowatt kw grid tied system with no battery back up can run to 16 000 and a similar 5 kw system could cost upwards of 40 000.

Most solar panels can only convert 14 of their available energy into power. Additionally solar panels installed in a field won t stand taller than 10 to 15 feet and are significantly less distracting than a large windmill. On average a 4kwp 13 16 panels solar panel system will set you back around 6 000 whereas a wind turbine can cost anywhere between 9 000 and 30 000. Compared to solar panels wind turbines release less co2 to the atmosphere consume less energy and produce more energy overall.

Wind turbine systems can run as high as 65 000 installed while the average cost nationally for a professionally installed solar panel system is about 8 to 9 per watt. Wind is a more efficient power source than solar. It only works when the wind blows and the wind is an irregular source. In fact one wind turbine can generate the same amount of electricity per kwh as about 48 704 solar panels.

Solar panels don t include moving components as wind production units do. Getting it wrong can cause you not only great expense but major headaches. Solar s rising popularity has led to a gradual decrease in price over the past decade. Another problem with wind power is just to generate enough power for a single home a person will need to install an 80 foot windmill.

This means that they have the ability to generate power 24 hours a day whereas solar panels only generate power during sunlight hours. Wind turbines generate a lot more power finally the biggest advantage of wind energy over solar power is that wind turbines produce more energy than solar panels do generally speaking. Wind power can perform the same functions by producing energy from wind powered turbines. The primary benefit of wind over solar power for your home is that wind turbines aren t dependent on sunlight.

It really depends on your geographical locationand energy requirements but given the substantial investment involved with either solar vs wind options it s critical to select the right system for your needs from the outset. Both depend on often volatile forces of nature but overall solar panels provide more consistent energy.