The International Solar Energy Society (ISES) has debunked the misconceptions about solar energy. With misinformation about solar energy being continuously broadcasted, it’s time to unveil the truth and unmask the myths.

1. Solar only provides a small fraction of primary energy

Solar energy is known as a renewable resource for a reason – it is an abundant source of electricity. It has vast potential to provide households and businesses the energy they require to power applications with high efficiency, but it’s currently under-utilised. Rather than primary energy, what really counts is end-use energy.

Large-scale solar farms do take up significant amounts of land in some cases, but often the total land use for solar equipment is a small fraction compared to agriculture. To achieve complete decarbonisation using renewable energy sources like solar, this requires approximately 40-80 m² of solar panel per person, which is far less than the area devoted to agriculture or roads. Solar energy structures can be established on land that is too low-quality for farming and integrated with other existing constructs. Rooftop solar, for example, does not impede land usage.

2. Solar uses vast amounts of land

3. Biomass is a better solution than running cars with electricity

Both solutions have their pros and cons. Electric cars produce no exhaust emissions and are highly efficient, but the impact depends on the energy source. Electric cars that run with solar electricity require 100 times less land that running cars with ethanol produced from sugar-cane. Biomass is also a sustainable alternative that repurposes waste, but it can still produce emissions.

4. Solar uses toxic metals and critical minerals

Some (not all) solar panels have heavy metals. However, the primary components of a solar panel are glass, silicon, aluminium, and copper. Most of these materials can be recycled, and none of them are not substitutable. While silicon is a critical mineral that is a crucial material for producing solar panels, this resource is extremely abundant – the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, in fact.

5. Solar requires too much energy to manufacture

Solar panels generate far more energy than they require to manufacture. The time needed to recover the energy used in manufacturing is about one year.

6. Solar and wind need backup from coal and gas when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow

This notion is outdated. By combining wide-area transmission and storage in the form of batteries and pumped hydro, all fossil fuels can be readily replaced. Emerging storage technologies are also being manufactured to cover long periods when sun and wind is unavailable.

The initial cost for installing rooftop solar can be high, but the eventual return on energy expenses is worthwhile. In Australia, an unsubsidised contemporary rooftop solar system costs US$700-1000 per kilowatt. One third of Australian houses have installed rooftop solar systems because they supply very cheap electricity.

7. Rooftop solar is expensive

8. If solar energy is cheap, then why is my electricity bill high?

The price of electricity is high due to costs of distribution and administration. Converting to an all-electric house will avoid these extra costs as the energy required to power electric appliances is produced onsite, and doesn’t require the energy to be transmitted. Electricity bills will be increased when going all-electric because these are substitutions for gas appliances. However, by replacing gas cooktops and heat pumps with electric counterparts, your gas bill will be reduced to zero. Add an electric vehicle to the equation, and your fuel costs will also be zero.

9. We need low energy prices, a stable grid, and low greenhouse emissions, and solar cannot provide this

Research shows that solar provides the cheapest electricity in history, is entirely capable of delivering a stable grid, and produces minimal greenhouse gas emissions in the long term.

FAQs

Inspired by pv magazine’s article: Solar myths and misconceptions.