Solar Power or Wind Power, Which One to Choose?

Solar power and wind energy are both renewable energy sources and both would help you to offset your carbon footprint. However choosing which option is right for you is critical since they both require large amounts of investment, and practicality and end results should always be an important consideration.

The first thing you need to know is what technology is viable within your area? Australia is blessed with enough sun hours and enough wind to power the systems, however to maximise your system and get optimum results you must do some investigation.

You can do a manual inspection of your place. You can check your neighborhood and see what they chose and you can tell from day to day experience which energy is more abundant. There are also commercially available instruments that can measure solar and wind energy and average them for a certain period giving you an idea which would perform better in the long run.

But apparently more Australian households choose solar power over wind powered systems. Why?

1.       As mentioned above both require money to set up, however with the way solar power is going right now its initial cost would be significantly lower than wind turbines, especially with all the government programs underway. Wind turbine installation also requires more components than solar panels and it takes a lot longer.

2.       Solar power would be more viable in urban areas compared to wind energy because of wind flow obstruction due to buildings and other commercial establishments. Roof top solarpanels can be angled to harness the greatest amount of sunlight as possible and wind turbines cannot. In remote areas wind energy is viable but so is solar power and once looking at the costs of both, more people tend to make the switch to solar.

3.       Maintenance is also another factor as to why solar panels have left wind turbines by a mile. A typical solar system is expected to last for more than 25 years and requires little or no maintenance at all. Wind turbines are more prone to wear and tear because of all the moving parts and external conditions.

4.       Large open spaces are also required before you can erect a wind turbine, spaces that modern and urban houses do not have. Though solar panels require larger space (per square meter) the system will be installed on your roof and it wouldn’t become an obstruction to anything.

5.       Lastly, solar panels are as quiet as a vacuum sealed room compared to wind turbines that increase noise pollution.