The green energy production methods that show the most promise of replacing fossil fuels as the primary source of energy production are wind and solar. The debate between fossil fuel production techniques and green energy production techniques generally comes down to a discussion of money and pollution. There is no doubt that wind and solar or a clean and form of energy production because they do not burn a fuel source in order to produce the energy that they are tasked to produce. One would think that they would be cheaper as a result of not having to purchase this fuel as well, but this is not yet the case because the systems have not reached critical mass and because in some cases their designs make them more prone to damage as a result of exposure than fossil fuel systems are. Therefore, there has not been a complete shift over to green energy as the primary production method at the current time. Simply put, it still costs more to produce energy without burning a fuel source and polluting the environment, than it does to burn one.
The main reason for the inflated cost of using photovoltaic components is that they are not a low cost as they would be if they were being mass-produced, and also the exposed portions of the system will degrade over time as a result of weather. Because they are out in the weather, they can also be immediately destroyed by lightning strikes. The costs of repair and maintenance of these exposed components are factored into the production costs, but ultimately do not make up the lion’s share of it. Additional costs are found in damage to equipment as a result of surges in electricity that follow lightning strikes. These power surges travel along any number of structures to the connecting cables and power lines that connect the solar or wind systems. The electrical surge travels to the equipment that is connected from some distance away and overwhelms the circuitry inside, ultimately producing damage that must be repaired or replaced in order to put systems back online. This inefficiency as well as added cost is problematic but can be driven down through the integration of more technologically advanced surge protection equipment installed at critical points within the system. Through the creation of better surge protection devices, we can ultimately drive down the costs of repair and equipment replacement system-wide, thus producing a cheaper energy production system. Technologically advanced surge protection devices from Raycap are assisting in this process through providing not only a more robust device itself, but also through the integration of cutting-edge technology that allows for the device to remain functional after the surge instance. Many surge protection devices are rendered inoperable whenever a surge is detected and avoided, thus leaving the system vulnerable to subsequent surges as a result of multiple lightning surges. Raycap devices do not self-sacrifice, enabling the system to remain fully functional even after the first or second surge instance, thus maintaining the level of protection that can drive down the ultimate cost of production. Through these technological advancements, we see that green energy technology still has room to grow and ultimately become the more cost-effective solution.
