Today we will compare two of the most important clean and renewable energies of the moment: solar energy and wind energy.
With this comparison we seek to answer the question which energy is better, solar or wind energy?
and that it can be very helpful for those of you who are looking for an alternative, renewable and more accessible source of energy and who still do not know what decision to make.
Let’s start our comparison of solar vs wind energy by knowing a little about each form of energy and later we will tell you about its advantages and disadvantages.
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What is solar energy?
It is a form of energy that uses as its main resource the sun’s rays that reach the earth in the form of electromagnetic radiation.
There are different ways to convert this radiation into energy, the most common and used today are: by solar collectors, by photovoltaic cells (the most common) and by heliostats.
In this case, experts recommend photovoltaic solar energy because it is the one with the most technological advances today and also because it can be easily adapted to large, medium-sized and even small installations (that of an apartment or a house, for example).
What is wind energy?
Wind energy is one that uses the wind as the main resource for power generation. Clearly, as we can see, it is totally renewable, it is clean and also the basic resource is unlimited.
Many of us recognize the large wind installations that are usually used to generate energy and that require considerable space, but the truth is that in recent years new installations have been created that are not so large and do not need as much space to function and they can adapt very well to remote places.
Did you know that last year close to (may even be higher) 10% of electricity worldwide was generated using wind power?
A very interesting fact that demonstrates the great utility of this way of generating electricity.
Advantages and disadvantages of solar energy
Knowing the advantages and disadvantages when making a comparison between two forms of energy (wind or solar energy) is of great importance and can help you a lot in making a decision.
Let us first know the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy.
Advantages
The maintenance of photovoltaic solar energy installations is not complicated at all and is quite cheap.
Countries with more hours of sunshine can better adapt to solar energy installations and have an easier time generating electricity based on it.
It is possible to recover the investment in a certain time that does not usually exceed 10 years. In addition, by untying ourselves a little from the electrical network, we will be saving a little money each month.
A property is worth much more money if it has an electric power installation.
They do not generate any type of noise.
We will be able to have electricity no matter how far from the electrical grid we may be (we will not be connected to the electrical grid, only to our solar energy installation).
It is one of the few renewable energies that allows heating.
Disadvantages
They have a somewhat expensive initial investment cost.
The same amount of energy is not generated daily and it is a little more difficult to study the patterns than in the case of wind energy.
Energy must be stored to be used during the hours without sun.
Some of the materials used may have a negative effect on the environment.
Advantages and disadvantages of wind energy
Now we will introduce you the advantages and disadvantages of wind power so that you can make a better comparison between wind and solar power.
Advantages
Wind energy is also renewable and the main resource (wind) does not run out.
The ability to generate energy from wind farms is very large and their potential is truly tremendous.
One of the points of comparison between solar and wind energy in which wind energy wins by a lot is in the environmental impact and that this form of energy has the least impact of all.
With the passage of time and the new inventions of technology every year, the production and maintenance costs of the facilities that generate this type of energy are reduced.
It can adapt to different spaces, that is why we can see installations in deserts, but also in the middle of crops and much more.
Disadvantages
Wind energy also depends on the weather and in many cases problems can be caused by the slowness of the wind or by running in directions that are not advantageous.
The initial setup of these installations can also be a bit expensive.
If the wind has a speed greater than what can be tolerated, it is possible that the turbines and other elements of the installations will be damaged.
They do have a significant impact on fauna, and it is that these types of facilities can cause different animals such as bats and birds to die each year.
To generate this type of energy, a large space is usually needed.
As you can see, the comparison between solar or wind energy is not easy to do and the decision must be made fully taking into account both its economic and space possibilities, as well as the advantages and disadvantages that the selected type of energy may have and as easily as it can respond to your real needs.
And it is that, for example, if you need to disconnect just a little from the electricity grid and you are in a group of apartments, wind energy becomes a much more complicated option, therefore, perhaps it would be a better option to bet on the solar energy.
In a few words, our recommendation is to read the specifications, the advantages, the disadvantages, the possibilities that each energy installation can offer and much more to make a decision that really suits what you are needing at the moment.
If you have doubts about renewable or alternative energies in general, we recommend this blog post where we explain them in detail.
We also invite you to browse the articles in the renewable energy category where you can find experiments and important information about it.