For recent years there has been a higher use of solar panels to supply electrical energy, this has been highly promoted due to the importance of using this source of electrical power generation. Some of the benefits of using this source of electrical energy generation are that solar is a renewable source of energy as we get it directly from the sun and harvest it through the use of PV cells.  Solar panels work through using the PV cells in the panel. So when light falls on the solar panel the photons will dislodge the electrons in the silicon which are used in making these panels. Once the electrons are dislodged they will be able to flow resulting in the flow of electrical current which hence gives electrical energy. The dislodge electrons will follow to an outer circuit that is the wires towards the load. This source of electrical energy generation is also very clean and does not pollute the environment, solar does not produce any harmful substance to the environment as it generates electrical energy. It is even cleaner than hydro-electrical power and wind power as there is no sound during its operation.  The benefit of the use of solar has then been adapted to several sectors including its use in most college campuses. In this essay, therefore, we will analyze how solar panels are very beneficial to college campuses. 

Since the solar panel is renewable energy, it always has a relatively lower cost as compared to renewable [2]. In college campus, the cost of electrical energy will be only the cost used in purchasing the solar energy systems and once this has been done then the college campus will be using their electrical energy freely without paying any electrical bills as in the case for the other source of on-grid electrical energy. And this is more significant in the long run as a solar panel are able to operate for a longer period for about 30 years. So when a long term analysis is done on the cost of electrical energy it will be realized that the cost of source panel as a source of energy is very low. In the year 2014 study was conducted in the United States where it was found that during the same year 4093 billion units of electrical energy (4093 billion kWh). And because this amount of electrical energy included the energy generated from the solar panels the price of electrical energy then fell down.

Therefore from this study, the case can be assumed to the college campus which uses the solar panel as their source of electrical energy.  The study conducted in the United State in 2014 found that when the solar panels were included in the generation of electrical energy the cost reduces from 21.4 cents per unit to 11.2 cents per unit [5]. This is a significant reduction in cost. The same reduction in prices can as well indicates that solar panel will highly reduce the cost of electrical energy in most of the college campuses over the world.  There is reduced energy loss when using solar panels to generate electrical energy on college campuses [5].  This is because electrical energy is always lost during transportation from the generation point to the consumption point. This loss does not affect energy generated from solar panels since for most cases these panels are just put on the rooftops, therefore, the distance is highly reduced hence increasing the efficiency of the electrical systems supplied with this electrical power.

 The use of the solar panel in college campuses will also help in saving on money, this is because the production cost of electrical energy through this technique is zero thus its energy production and maintenance cost is practically zero. The only cost which is associated with the solar panel is only the cost of buying the system and the cost of its installation and once all these have been done, the operation is practically free. Hence the amount of money which the college campuses administration would have used in the maintenance and production can be used in other things to help boost the standards of the college. This will make the collages to have some development plan after saving the amount of money they would have used in the production of electrical energy as well as employing some qualified personnel to do the maintenance of the whole system.   

Since solar energy is a purely renewable source of electricity there is no fear of the unknown of maybe depletion of the resource used in producing electricity.  For example, in other non-renewable sources of electricity like the diesel, coal and nuclear there is a fear of the unknown of the depletion of the resources used in the generation of electrical energy.  When most college campuses promote the use of solar energy in the generation of electrical energy there will be also reduced pressure on the usage of non-renewable resources which are used in the generation of electrical energy [6].  For example, there will be reduced pressure on the use of coals as well as the diesel in the generation of electricity.  The use of the solar panel in most college campuses will also help in promoting ways of adopting the use of other renewable sources of electricity all over the world. Through the use of solar in most college campuses, it will be possible to create more support programs where the students from these campuses will start some awareness program on the importance of using renewable energy in the world.  Such awareness programs are already supported by the European Union. And due to this awareness from the campus students, the increase in solar usage has been witnessed in most countries in Europe in recent years.

The use of solar panels to generate electrical energy is college campus help in the reduction of risks of electrical shocks as well as other accidents. This is true since the solar panels reduce the wiring connections as seen for the grid connections where the overhead and the underground connections are done. For this source of energy, the panels are installed on the rooftops from which the connections are done directly into the rooms where the power is used. The usage of solar panels as a source of electrical energy in college campuses helps campuses to have a very reliable source of electrical energy as opposed to having the grid connection where there can be a power blackout. The use of solar panels will also help to avoid the use of standby generators which are costly to operate and also pollute the environment as they run.

The use of solar panels in college campuses helps in the reduction of air pollution around the campus.  Solar panels do not emit any dangerous gases as for the case of the generators which emits dangerous gases [4]. The pollution will still be there even if the campus uses the grid power as this power is not reliable and sometime there may be blackout which will then supplemented with standby generators.  The standby generators operate on diesel hence pollute the environment in the college campus [4].  The air pollution which is caused by the running generators can result to some diseases like lung cancer which can sometimes affect the employees in the colleges like lecturers which may get exposed to such pollutant for a long period of time. The pollution may also cause some eye irritation to the students and results in lack of concentration of the student on the campus.  While such generators are operating to generate electrical energy there are lots of noise which also cause noise pollution and affect the concentration of the students while in their lectures.  Hence the use of solar panels to generate electrical energy will help to avoid such problems.  

There are less usage wasted when using solar in college campuses, this is because solar panel uses some solar battery which supplies power at night when there is no sunlight. The battery is charged during the day when there are sunlight and the stored power is used by the students at night. This help in reducing wasted energy generated by solar panels[3].  When the solar power system is perfectly installed in the college campuses, the panels can perfectly last for a longer period of about 30 years without any fault in the system.  This will supply a reliable source of electrical energy to the college campus which uses this source of electrical energy. The faults in the power system lines can sometimes result in power blackout which cannot be witnessed in the solar power system.

Solar power system uses very less connecting wires, this will hence help to avoid chances of electrical shock in case.  This can also help in the reduction of ambiguity in the connection of other loads to the system as well as a trace in case there is some fault in the line.  Even though faults are very rare in the solar power system but in some cases, they can occur [1]. When these problems are solved through the use of solar power system then most of the students will be safe while in their colleges. Solar panels also provide a good conductivity as they operate this will help in the good operation of the connected load and also increase the efficiency of such electrical appliances.

In summery the use of solar power system in college campuses should be highly encouraged due to the above-discussed benefits. As it is seen that solar power is very green and does not pollute the environment through the emission of dangerous gases to the environment. Such gases which are produced by other sources of electrical energy may have an effect on the human being as they can cause irritation and lung cancer for a long term exposure. The college will also save a lot of money in case they adopt the use of the solar panel on their campuses. And because the solar panel is a renewable source of power there is no fear of the unknown on the exhaustion of the resources used in the production of electrical energy. Sun is a natural resource which will be available every time as long as it is day time, it may be absent at some times when it is cloudy days of which there will be still a generation of electrical energy but a reduced amount. Therefore the solar power system is very significant to be used in most college campuses worldwide.

References

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