6 Reasons Why Solar Power is the Best Alternative Source of Energy

There are many sources of energy but little is said about solar power.

Image © The Smart City Journal

In the recent past, many people across the globe have come to see the effect human beings have on the universe. The famous phrase “the earth is healing” has been coined since most countries announced and effected lockdowns in an effort to contain the fast spread of the novel Covid-19 virus.

Most companies and factories shut down reducing the levels of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Notable gains and significant observations have been made in China, India and the USA among other industrious countries.

One of the things that people who moved to the countryside have observed however is the lack of electricity connection. It has come to their attention that their grannies have been suffering when the sun sets. No electricity means that no phones are charged at the comfort of your stay at home, no entertainment, no AC and most importantly, late night emergencies are a scare if at all they occurred.

One of the best alternatives is solar power. This is nothing new to most people, only that they have been ignoring how important the free sun power is to people and industries.

Below are the reasons why we all should consider solar power to electricity.

 1. Available in Remote Areas
Some places are so remote that electricity distributing companies may find it difficult to set up a grid for those places. 

While the cost of installing solar power cannot be ignored, the benefits of it are immense. The people who live in such areas are not denied the benefits enjoyed by people along electricity power grids.

It is important to note that the use of solar power is way better and tags along it other benefits than diesel powered generators and kerosene.

      2. Cheap to Install and Maintain
The requirement for a solar power connection is very easy and cheap to acquire.

First, your house, apartment or business premises need to be well connected in readiness for power. Other items are:

• Solar Panels - there are different sizes and makes hence also difference in pricing but are mostly pocket friendly and most have over 15 years warranty.
• Charge Controller – these are essential in controlling the amount of power that is charged into you battery.
• Battery – the battery is the power storage that is used especially at night when there is no sunlight. It is advisable that you use maintenance free batteries.
• Solar Inverter – The inverter converts the DC power form your battery to AC. This is because most appliances are meant to use AC power. However, it is important to note that there are DC appliances available in the market in case one wanted to cut down on costs.

Diagram: Solar Power Connection

Image © Homedecorations 

Once the above are well set as illustrated below, you are done and set, ready to use your solar power.

The costs incurred in the purchase of the above are a one-off cost, no monthly bills unless you would like to upgrade in the future.

   3. Save on the Costs of electricity
Production and distribution of electricity in most countries is controlled by the government. In Kenya for instance, KenGen (production) and Kenya Power (distribution) are parastatals. 100% owned and run by the government of Kenya.

Every year, there has been a question of Kenyans receiving very high electricity bills at the end of the month. In most cases, Kenya Power themselves cannot explain how for example a simple homestead can have a bill of say USD 100.00 in a single month. It is a bad experience especially when the representative shamelessly says the charge is based on estimate (rather than actual consumption) and that you have to pay the bill first, including the reconnection fee for them to sit down with you and see where their math went wrong. This is daylight robbery.

Once you have your house ready, the cost of wiring is up to you, depending on how much power your household or apartment will consume. When it comes to connection, you will be required to pay a connection fee of about USD 350.00 and if you are far from the nearest grid, a cost for posts at approximately USD 80.00 for each.

With solar power, all you need is solar panels, a battery, a charge controller and an inverter for you to be on the move. The aforementioned come in different sizes and prices hence it all depends on how you plan on your consumption.

The reliance on fossils such as coal and natural gases has, is and will always be a costly source of power.

The best thing is that this is a one-time cost. The sun is free. There are no monthly electricity bills!

  4. No Constant blackouts, Electricity Loss
Power generating companies usually will blame shortage of rains for there being constant power rationing and unprecedented and costly blackouts.

This is costly for companies and small businesses that are 100% dependent on electricity.

Solar energy, if well setup will only depend on sunlight to work. With a well charged battery, there are no reasons for you to shut down you operations and daily life tasks because you did not have power.

When you are connected to a solar power grid, life goes on uninterrupted.

   5. Clean Energy, Good for the Environment
Earlier, we talked about a healing planet. Solar power purely depends on a clean source of energy, the sun. Solar power does not pollute the environment in whatever way.

Imagine a world where we will not completely go back to our lives before Covid-19. Imagine if among the lessons learnt during this pandemic is not only more about the people we did not get to spend enough time with but also on maintaining very high hygiene levels and using the safest, cheapest means of operations besides working from home and turning that useless meeting into an email.

No gas emissions, no rivers diverted from their original sources to go to dams that had people displaced in the first place.

Think of clean energy. Think of solar power, the best alternative source of power.

    6. Helps in Contributing to a Sustainable Future
While everyone works on how to save for the unforeseeable future, solar power comes in handy in helping you do exactly that. Solar power can be set up on the underutilized piece of land in your farm or just set up on the roof of your house. While this enables you to effectively use whatever is available to you, it reduces pollution that is caused by other sources of power and also saves you from fatal accidents that might occur and cost you in a big way.