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This is a never-ending debate and it all depends on one’s viewpoint. There are certain factors involved in answering the question, factors such as:

· Where are you located
· What is your existing electric supply
· Cost of the hardware
· How do you define ‘worth? In monetary terms, or in terms of its impact on the environment

Before one can ever start to consider the factors, there have been certain long held misconceptions regarding solar power, which are not true:

· It is too expensive.
· It will not provide enough power for large appliances.
· It will not work during the winter.
· It will only provide power when it is sunny.
· It is very difficult to install and will only last 5 years.
· It is unreliable and useless at night.
· It is inefficient and not worth it.

A Look at the Factors

The amount of sun’s energy reaching the earth depends on your location. If you are located in a sunnier place, the solar power equipment will pay itself off faster, but less sunny places can also make use of solar power.

Installing solar power equipment may cost you, but the running costs are negligible, compared to the cost of being connected to the grid and drawing electric power. It depends on how much electricity you need, the type of equipment you need – is it off the market or customized. If you need a lot of electricity, your initial cost of installation will be high, but then you are already paying a high cost for each unit of electricity off the grid.

Your solar power can be connected to the grid to pass on the extra electricity you are generating. This is known as net metering and this adds to your credit. Connecting to the grid will cost you, depending on how far are the grid lines from your home.

Solar power becomes much more attractive when it combines with other solar technologies. A building with passive solar heating and water heating will require less electricity from your solar power source. Modern buildings, made with energy efficient materials will put less pressure on your solar power equipment. This in no way means that older buildings with poorer energy efficient materials cannot use solar power. Solar power, once installed, will pay itself off within a reasonable time.

After considering the above – it all comes down to the ‘worth’ of installing solar power. Is it only the monetary cost one should consider, or the total cost to the environment? It all comes down to how much one values the environment.