Page 16 - Silver Lakes August 2021

ESTATE NEWS

he solar vs generator debate isn’t
new – but it is becoming more
Timportant for anyone thinking of
living off the grid. Here’s the thing... both SOLAR POWER VS
solar and generators have their pro and
cons. Let’s take a look at how they weigh
up. GENERATOR?

BENEFITS OF SOLAR
Clean power
This is easily the most important benefit
of solar panels. There’s no noise, no fumes
and they’re environmentally friendly.

Free power
Solar panels are free to run. With solar,
there’s no need to buy fuel to keep
the panels running. The sun’s energy is
completely free.
DRAWBACKS OF SOLAR

Takes longer to charge up
One of the biggest drawbacks of solar
is that it takes a lot longer to charge
up your batteries than a generator. So,
if you’re running appliances with high
energy consumption all the time, such as
heating and air-conditioning, stored solar
power reserves are not always enough.
The energy produced by a solar system is BENEFITS OF GENERATORS DRAWBACKS OF GENERATORS
limited by the number and size of panels
you can fit on your roof. Run appliances directly Fuel
A generator can run appliances directly Generators consume fuel. This means you
Bad weather = no power without needing to charge the battery not only have the continuous running cost
If there is a run of bad weather and no first. In fact, they are better than solar of a generator, but you also have to make
sun, you will not be able to charge up your when you’re using them with power- sure you have enough fuel.
batteries. No charge = no power. hungry devices, like your air-con and
coffee machine. Emissions, noise and restrictions
Initial set-up costs Unlike solar panels, generators can be
The initial outlay for solar panels can be Not dependent on the weather noisy. How noisy depends on the model.
more than generators. That’s because solar Probably the biggest advantage of There are definitely quieter generators on
panels only supply charge to a battery, generators vs solar is that they are not the market, but you can’t get away from
whereas a generator can supply power dependent on good weather. A generator the fact that they are still noisy.
directly to your distribution board and provides reliable power, so long as you
appliances. remember to keep it fuelled up. Many people opt for the low up-front
cost of a diesel or petrol generator. They
are relatively cheap to buy and even a
modestly sized unit will provide enough
power for most of the appliances in the
average home.

Installation is relatively easy as well,
requiring only an adequately specified
change- over switch to be installed at the
distribution board.
CONCLUSION
When comparing the alternatives, you
should include the price of diesel or petrol,
plus maintenance of the generator over
the equivalent design life of the solar
system.

In comparison, solar power is very
expensive upfront, as well as being
relatively complicated to specify and install.
However once installed, it needs virtually
no maintenance and lasts a long time.
The Operations Team
14 INTRA MUROS AUGUST 2021