Disadvantages Of Active Solar Heating: High Initial Costs Is Certainly Something To Contend With
There are three main disadvantages of active solar heating with the first being that the initial costs involved are on the high side. The second disadvantage of active solar heating is that use of an active solar heating system is limited to its location as well as power density while the third most important disadvantage of active solar heating is that the solar cells can only produce direct current (DC) which then needs to be converted into alternating current (AC) before it can be useful to the consumer. During this transformation from DC to AC, there is loss of energy to the tune of between four and twelve percent.
More Advantages Than Disadvantages
More and more households in the US are being heated by active solar heating systems as there are obviously a lot more advantages to such systems that help offset many of the disadvantages of active solar heating. The main reason why even more households have not switched over to use of active solar heating systems are the initial costs involved as well as contending with the need for sufficient amount of sunlight to make the active solar heating system worthwhile.
If however you are willing to invest approximately between six to twenty thousand dollars to install an active solar heating system then chances are that you will not pay much heed to the disadvantages of active solar heating and will go ahead and make use of this form of solar energy. In fact, the market for active solar heating systems continues to grow and industries too are expending greater effort in researching and finding cheaper solutions and so the future looks bright.
One thing that does help you disregard the disadvantages of active solar heating is that these systems are easy to use and the accompanying DIY instruction manuals make it easy to educate consumers as to how they can install their own active solar heating system and so save on the high costs involved.
The other major disadvantage of active solar heating is that there is need to install the system where there is abundant sunlight and so in case you happen to be living in areas such as in Alaska, using an active solar heating system might not make much sense.
Also, once you have installed the active solar heating system on your roof it becomes part and parcel of your home and so when selling your home you might have to part with the active solar heating system which is certainly one more of the disadvantages of active solar heating to take into account.
Examples of active solar heating can be seen in the use of such solar heating systems being employed in places such as Fairbanks, Alaska where sunlight is not readily available. Nevertheless, an active solar heating system can still provide good service despite the constraints in regard to sufficient sunlight.