A solar energy fact that opponents like to bring up is that for several hours a day, from sunset to sunrise, solar energy cannot be generated. They like to claim this means that users of solar energy either 1) need an additional energy source for overnight, or 2) that solar energy must be stored for overnight, and that costs large amounts of money.
The truth of the matter is that having a backup energy source is never a bad idea. Just like the electric lines coming to your house from the power plant, your solar panels can malfunction, leaving you without power. When looking at solar energy facts, it is obvious that these glitches happen far less frequently than outages from traditional power sources, but they can happen. So having a backup energy source is just good planning. However, you won’t be needing it every night, as some people would have you believe.
During the day when your solar panels are collecting energy, they also charge the backup system, giving you plenty of energy to keep all your appliances and other electricity drains running all night.
But that backup storage is expensive, according to solar opponents. Again, the solar energy facts prove this to be a half-truth, at best. Storing large amounts of electricity — say, enough to run a city — can be costly, but a switch to solar does not increase the need to store electricity. As it is, according to the International Energy Association, having solar power make up a portion of the nation’s electric generating capacity has no impact on the need for electricity storage.