Talk:Occupational hazards of solar panel installation

Technology limitations
The popularity of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels has grown immensely and for good reason. PV panels provide us with the abundant clean energy needed to supply electricity. However, we still fall behind in terms of capturing the free, vast amount of energy produced by nature. The first, most obvious set back comes from the unpredictability of solar energy, i.e. cloudy or rainy weather. Solar radiation has a very broad spectrum which ranges from infrared to ultraviolet. It is challenging to design a device capable of utilizing all solar energy. While the cost of maintenance and operating are relatively low, solar panels are fragile and easily damaged. Further, in order to receive continuous supply of electric power the PV panels require inverters and storage batteries which increases costs. Most importantly, in comparison to other renewable energy systems, solar panels efficiency levels are relatively low, ~14%-25%. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on climate change estimates that the world will need the equivalent of 32,000 terawatt hours (TW h) of electrical energy by 2030. PV panels would only meet about 1%-2% of this demand (150-300 TW h). Although there are limitations to PV solar panels, we can continue to use them in tandem with other forms of renewable energy, such as wind.