The price of production continues to be the top benefit to using fossil fuels over renewable energy but tide could soon be turning. Although there is no argument that “green energy” has less impact on the environment and would be beneficial to every nation, there is still a push back from many large countries including the United States to expansion of its use. This is quite simply due to the costs associated with the production of power for consumer consumption, and the unwillingness of the public to pay more for the same product they already get, although it is currently produced in a more damaging way. Most consumers will understand that there is an impact on the environment when fossil fuels are burned, but will still vote with their pocket books and choose the method that will cost less.
Through technology, advances are being made in both the solar and wind industries that are bringing the production costs down. Renewable energy sources do not use a “fuel” that has associated costs, instead relying on natural resources that ultimately generate power. The costs associated with the production of green energy is generally due to equipment replacement and repair costs, as well as the initial capital expenditure of equipment for solar fields and wind farms. The production of power within these industries is not accomplished through a simple windmill or solar panel, and instead involves a complex network of connected devices which are quite sensitive and can be damaged by electrical surges. A little thought of but often felt cost associated with power production from green energy sources is the replacement of connected equipment damaged when lightning strikes the exposed components, then travels down the lines in the form of a powerful electrical surge. While the damage to the windmill blades or solar panels if struck is almost unavoidable, new technologies and advances in the surge protection industry are more effectively preventing the damage to the connected equipment more, thus driving down total production costs.
Raycap is a leader in the field of industrial surge protection and the solutions engineered to accomplish this goal. Their development of a superior surge protection technology that is more robust allows them to play an integral role in driving energy production costs down for green energy. Raycap’s Strikesorb line of products, when integrated into both solar installations and wind installations, protect components from surge damage keeping the systems running and online even after a lightning strike. This translates to more uptime hours when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, converting solar energy into electricity for consumer use. The longer these installations stay online in any period, the more electricity produced. Through Strikesorb’s revolutionary maintenance-free performance, it may provide the tipping point that helps green energy production take a stronger foothold. The technological revolution in green energy has begun, and improved surge protection devices (SPDs) are but one of the weapons needed to make it more widely cost-effective.
