A car park with a solar panel shade at Strathmore University on July 16,
2014. Despite rapid deployment of solar technology there are several
misconceptions which stand in the way of more rapid uptake of solar,
principally the idea that solar is expensive and only suitable for small
scale off-grid applications. PHOTO | FILE
Energy specialists all agree that solar power is fast becoming a key part of the global energy mix.
Solar can play an important role in powering Kenya’s economic development if the potential for this technology is grasped.
Despite
rapid deployment of solar technology there are several misconceptions
which stand in the way of more rapid uptake of solar, principally the
idea that solar is expensive and only suitable for small scale off-grid
applications.
Many potential users
are unaware of the staggering cost reductions which have been achieved
by the solar industry and the scale of projects which are now routinely
deployed.
However “seeing is
believing” and there are a growing number of early adopters in Kenya who
have installed solar power systems to generate low cost power for their
businesses.
These solar adopters are now making significant savings on their energy bills.
Kenyan
farms, factories, offices and shops have installed solar power and are
benefitting from clean, cheap electricity and contributing the massive
amount of new electricity generation capacity needed in Kenya.
Globally,
the solar energy landscape is booming. Production of PV has been
doubling globally every two years to meet demand, averaging 48 per cent
growth since 2002, making it the fastest-growing energy technology
according to latest data from the European Photovoltaic Industry
Association.
The future outlook for
solar is positive too: last year, the International Energy Agency
asserted that the sun could be the world’s largest source of electricity
by 2050, ahead of fossil fuels, wind, hydro and nuclear.
How solar energy works
Solar
electricity is possible as a result of the earth’s most free and
abundant source — the sun! In a single hour, the sun transmits more
energy to the earth’s surface than the world uses in a year.
Solar panels, which can be sited either on rooftops or on the ground, capture daylight and convert it into electrical energy.
When
you group these panels they form a solar power system. The panels are
frames made up of PV cells and when daylight from the sun’s radiation
hits the cells, it is converted to direct current (DC) power.
An
inverter converts the DC power into AC power and this can be used to
power conventional electrical appliances or fed into the grid as part of
a nations power supply.
Solar a money saver for businesses
Due
to the long life, falling capital costs and very low running costs of
solar power, this renewable energy technology can provide power which is
cheaper than retail price power or power from standby generators.
Once the solar system has been installed, the price of electricity generated is fixed for at least 25 years.
The lifetime cost of electricity, also known as levelised costs of energy (LCOE), is Sh11 to Sh15per kWh.
This is lower than grid prices for most consumers and is significantly lower than the cost of power from standby generators.
In
places where power comes from generators — or a mix of the grid and
stand by generators — solar is substantially lower than the existing
source of electricity.
For many
countries the cost of diesel is typically Sh96 to Sh144 per litre, and
fuel costs for diesel-generated electricity can be upwards from Sh29 per
kWh.
Solar on the rise in Kenya
Although large scale solar has only just got going in Kenya, it has already proven itself in many countries around the world.
The UK has a total of 5GW of solar power systems feeding power into the grid or directly to homes and businesses.
Just imagine what these solar panels could do in Kenya which has double the solar resource of northern Europe!
The
trend is further boosted by technological evolutions and industry
developments along the entire solar value chain which present us today
with an energy generation technology that is simple, easy to install and
low maintenance.
Kenya, just like
her neighbours in the continent, enjoys a favourable location at the
equator which allows it lengthy daylight hours throughout the year - and
panels need daylight to work, not sunlight.
Solar
can be deployed faster than any other type of technology and costs keep
falling too as efficiencies improve —so it’s the perfect opportunity
to help diversify Kenya’s energy mix and reduce reliance on dirty,
costly coal and diesel power.
The
world’s dependency on fossil fuels is totally unsustainable. Not only is
fossil fuel environmentally harmful, it can also be costly, and the
price unpredictable and inconsistent, whereas the cost of solar
continues to fall globally.
As Kenya’s economy grows and demand for power increases, solar is one of the technologies that can be rapidly deployed.
Where
there is no grid power available, small scale and portable solar
technology can be used to bring light, communications and even
entertainment to the remotest of places.
But
solar can also be very large – multi MW power stations feeding into the
grid – or business scale, roof top power plants providing power direct
to businesses that can help reduce reliance on the grid and save money
at the same time.
As businesses use
self-generation as well as energy efficiency to reduce their grid
reliance, there will be more grid power available for use elsewhere.
The author is the Business Development Director of Solarcentury in East Africa.
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