Environmental and Maintenance Considerations

Thus far, the solar array has required zero maintenance from me or anyone else. There are no emissions of greenhouse gases, no extraction of fossil fuels, and the fuel (sunshine) is free.  Compare this to an estimate from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) that a 650 MW coal-burning plant would cost $3 billion (that’s $3,000,000,000!) if construction were started in 2016 and would take four years to complete.  Add to that the costs of purchasing and transporting coal to the plant.  Then add the costs of hiring people to run the plant plus costs for repairs and routine maintenance.  The advantages of a very low maintenance renewable energy source like solar start to become very attractive in comparison.