Comparing Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar and Biogas Plants

The rising threat of power crises at the global level has enforced people to think seriously about alternative power resources. Solar systems and biogas plant are the two important resources that are constantly in debate for their usefulness in addressing the issue.

Though, there are some great advantages of using these alternate sources of energy, their disadvantages must also be taken into consideration. This is because it is important to assess the capabilities of such resources to decide whether they will be useful in the future or not.

Solar systems make use of solar energy which is available free of cost and this is one big advantage of these systems. However, the initial cost of setting up these systems is considerable, though these systems prove to be economical in long run. Going further, these systems are advantageous as they don’t contribute towards pollution.

Solar systems can run independently without the need of power supply. Moreover, these systems require minimum maintenance and are highly convenient to use. As far as disadvantages are concerned, solar systems require high set up costs and are expensive than non-renewable energy resources. Most importantly, these systems become inefficient at nights when there is no availability of solar energy. Pollution and clouds too affect the efficiency of these systems.

Biogas plants make use of biodegradable wastes to produce energy and by doing so, these arrangements help in reducing waste. Moreover, these plants are useful in controlling pollution which is caused by oil-based energy resources.

On the flip side, these plants have high capital outlays. Moreover, these plants are incapable of supporting high end commercial activities due to low calorific value of the fuel. Limited quantity of fuel produced at these plants restricts its usage for different applications. There are some contaminated gases present in biogas which are corrosive in nature.

As one can see, both solar and biogas plant have pros and cons associated with them. However, it is important to consider the fact that these sources of energy are highly useful in reducing the pollution. There is need to devise more ways to make these arrangements more effective and economical.