Motion and solar often work well together to improve the overall energy investment. Solar can provide an additional layer of energy generation to most active kinetic generator systems.
Active Kinetic 1 outperforms solar in many scenarios.
1. capable of operating 24 hours a day
2. utilises waves reducing the occupation of land
3. can be stacked using vertical area
4. easier to recycle
Overall Active Kinetic 1 is more sustainable and at lower cost, however it can usually be combined with solar.
As the world is covered in mainly water the potential for generating electricity using motion energy vastly, outweighs solar.
Solar panels require large flat area, hence the use of sea. Motion energy technology is stacked requiring less space and easier maintenance.
Salty seawater is highly corrosive and this presents many challenges for hosting Solar at sea. Additionally the rough sea current can damage solar arrays, ultimately destroying the solar panels.
Motion energy technology is equipped to generate electricity in any weather conditions. It will work far better in these environments, guaranteeing far more energy than from a Solar investment.
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Where accessible Solar provides the most abundant source of renewable energy. Unfortunately sun is limited to 12 hours a day and its dependant on weather condition.
There are a few potential issues that have been raised with regards to solar farms:
United Kingdom:
Solar Sunshield: Snow, dust and even sand can block sunlight getting to solar panels, these inefficiency can reduce large amount of energy being harvested to produce electricity. Also concerns that natural events such as hail and strong winds can completely destroy solar farms which could take months to restore.
Land use: Solar farms can take up a large amount of space, which may be a concern if the land is needed for other purposes, such as agriculture.
Habitat loss: Some concerns about the impact of solar farms on the local environment. The construction of solar farms can potentially result in habitat loss for wildlife, particularly if the site is home to protected species where the effects on wildlife and habitat are destructive.
Grid connection: It can be difficult to connect large solar farms to the electricity grid, especially if the grid is already stretched to capacity in a particular area. This can be a significant barrier to the development of new solar farms.
Visual impact: Some people may object to the appearance of solar farms, especially if they are located in areas of outstanding natural beauty.
Shadow flicker: Solar panels can sometimes cause shadow flicker, which is when the moving shadows of the panels fall on nearby properties. This can be a nuisance for people living close to the farm.
Funding and subsidies: The cost of building and maintaining solar farms is high, and they often rely on government subsidies to be viable. There has been some debate in the UK about the level of support that solar farms should receive.
Materials: Some materials are expensive to retrieve from old solar panels and rare on earth.
