Solar Energy for Electricity & Heat

Once the Sun’s ray reaches the Earth, they can be captured and converted into electricity in two ways- through solar cells and solar thermal systems.

·         Solar cells change sunlight instantly into electricity. Groups of small solar cells can be used to power wristwatches, calculators and other electronics. Larger group of solar cells – linked together in what are called solar panels – can help power homes, buildings and communities. The scientific name for solar cells is photovoltaic (PV) cells, which comes from the word photo, meaning light, and voltaic, meaning energy.

·         Solar thermal systems use the sun energy to heat liquids to the point that they turn into seam. The steam can then be used to power a generator that creates electricity for us to use.

The equipment that produces solar energy can be placed on roof tops or on the ground close to where the energy will be used. Also, the power can be fed into the electric grid that serves everyone in a region.

Read More

Electricity Bill Savings with Solar Energy

Money saved on electricity through smaller or eliminated electricity bills should be factored into your cost of solar panels calculation. Have a look at your last few electricity bills and calculate your expected energy reduction – factor the $30, $50, or $100 expected monthly saving into your solar cost analysis.

Freedom from the fluctuations of electricity prices and from the international politics of fossil fuels is an enormous future cost-benefit of solar energy.  As fossil-fuel energy prices continue to rise, solar power users will remain unaffected.

Carbon emission taxes are another factor affecting the long term cost of solar power. As we struggle with the burgeoning climate change crisis, countries are imposing their own per kg carbon taxes and emissions trading schemes to curb pollution. These taxes will increasingly make fossil fuel generated electricity more expensive, thus make the comparative cost of solar cheaper.

Read More

Do It Yourself Solar Electricity

Most people choose to have solar photovoltaic (electricity-producing) panels installed on the roof of their homes as this provides elevation and consequently less chance of the panels being shaded by surrounding buildings and trees. 

If the panels are at the same angle as the roof, they are afforded better protection from the wind, and are less likely to be damaged. 

There are, however, some limiting factors: the roof must provide sufficient space to accommodate the solar panels, the roof structure needs to be strong enough to support the weight of the solar panels, and the roof must face the sun (face south in the northern hemisphere and north in the southern hemisphere), and it must be unshaded for most of the day. 

If solar panels are at a different angle to the roof, planning permission may be required. 

Non-roof-mounted solar panels allow for increased flexibility in placement and are suitable for use in circumstances where the roof does not meet the above requirements.

While solar panels are expensive to install, once installed they require very little maintenance, and will yield value for many years to come – the resultant savings on electricity bills could quickly exceed the cost of installation and maintenance. 

In addition, rebates and tax credits are often available, with a tax credit of 30% of the cost offered in the United States. Households with large electricity bills will experience the greatest financial return on this investment. 

Solar panels can also greatly increase the value of a house, with potential buyers seeing the potential electricity saving as a huge incentive.

Read More

Nepal's Energy Crisis

Despite Nepal's huge hydropower potential and more than half a century of experience starting with the Pharping hydro plant in 1911, to date, less than 1% of Nepal's hydro-power resources have been tapped.  Furthermore, no significant effort has been exerted in tapping other energy sources.

Given the rapidly increasing population and burgeoning urbanization, electrical energy demand will continue to see a steep upward trend while supply will continue to fail in meeting demand. It can therefore safely be predicted that the numbers of hours of load shedding will be longer and painfully prevalent in the short to medium term.  Even the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) concedes that severity of load shedding will not diminish in the short term (refer to “Bartaman Load Shedding Lai Tat Kaal Samadhan Garni Upaya Haru Ko Sammandha Ma Sabai Pakchya Haru Ko Adhyan Gari Sujav Dina Jal Shrot Mantralaya Ko Nirnaya Anusar Gathit Samiti le Pesh Gare Ko Pratibedhan report originally available at - www.nea.org.np)

Each sector of the Nepalese economy- Nepalese households, businesses, enterprises, communications, industries, education and service sectors etc., as a result, will continue to be hit hard, therefore extensively hampering the productivity of all sectors. Thus, the provisioning of reliable and uninterruptible energy supply will remain to be one of the most pressing challenges in Nepal for the next 7-10 years.

Currently, there are three possible options for resolving power supply constraints in the short run: The first relates to the improvement in energy efficiency requiring the incorporation of up-to-date technology and the revising of existing prices, tariffs and subsidies without impeding social, economic and other related activities in the economy. Implementation of proper policies will enhance electricity efficiency and save electric energy that can potentially combat load-shedding.  However, this solution cannot be treated as anything more than a relief patch as it will not be able to provide solutions for the ever-growing demand for more energy.

The second relates to importing electricity from India to meet growing local demand, a process that up until now has been severely constrained by the lack of infrastructure. Recently, however, Nepal and India have entered into an agreement to construct four high voltage transmission links for the purpose of bulk power exchange. While this is a welcome move and concerted efforts must be made to expedite power exchange infrastructure, it still is not a viable solution as India itself is energy starved and not in any position to be exporting excessive amounts of energy to Nepal for the purpose of Nepalese industrial and economic development (a supply-demand deficit that currently is already estimated to be around 800MW(?))

The third and probably the one option that can immediately be applied is the utilization of renewable energy technologies. In Nepal, renewable energy technologies and its wider application has been limited to the rural areas of the country. According to the Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) more than 100,000 solar home systems and numerous micro-hydro systems are powering rural households while more than 150,000 biogas plants have been installed throughout the country. Unfortunately renewable technologies and in particular solar energy, which has tremendous potential to provide immediate relief from power shortage woes in the urban areas of the country, remains underutilized. 

It is estimated that Nepal has a potential to generate about 26,000 MW of electricity through solar power.  It is this free and environmentally sustainable energy source that  Solar Solutions has been tapping to provide relief to those that have been affected by load-shedding. Fortunately, Nepal is blessed with more than 312 days of sunshine averaging approximately six hours per day, allowing the Solectric system to deliver power continuously 365 days a year. Solar Solutions believes that given such conditions, every individual residing in Nepal should embrace long-term sustainable practices by HARVESTING THE POWER OF SUN

Read More