SolarrevolutionAfrica

The potential with going solar is an exciting and rewarding journey with limitless opportunities.

Here’s a fact you may not have known - There's over a billion people who have no access to energy across the world; 620 million of them are in Africa. Not only is this fact unbelievable, it’s also unacceptable.

It’s easy to think back to the kickstart of the U.S.’ industrial era and the sudden burst of technology, which was then emulated across the world. To get to the appliances, there needed to be a power station. Additionally, the power station needed to have a type of infrastructure, which as a result, provided the electricity.

Nowadays, the average costs of getting grid-tie solar connected to a home is about $1500 and could take a lengthy amount of time to get fully installed and setup. This may seem like a lifetime to those with absolutely no source of power.

Despite the challenges, there's a revolution taking place in the villages and towns of East Africa. It’s all about going solar, distributed solar and staying wireless.

Photons are wireless, fall on every rooftop, and generate enough power to be sufficient for every household need. That itself is an incredible feat and until now, the technology hasn't been around to make it possible. The common approach is to have a grid tie system to provide growth, allowing countries to develop and further industrialize.

It’s gotten to the point where the actual cost of building these grids and following that pattern of development has become unsustainable. Adding up the total utility consumption in Africa and sub-Saharan Africa will give you an average of 21 billion dollars. This rough breakdown showcases the extraordinary number of resources that’s been put in to creating and maintaining a system that has ultimately proven to be a time-consuming process.

Companies who have attempted to tackle this problem over the past 10 years, have come to recognize the true reality. There lies a great big nuclear reactor up in the sky, aka the sun, and of all the continents worldwide, Africa is most endowed with that solar energy. Hence, therein lies the opportunity to harbor that wireless, solar power, and convert it into energy at a common, household level.

Over the years however, three changes have taken place that have directly impacted our approach towards renewable energy…

First, the costs of solar and renewable energy have significantly dropped as more consumers are becoming highly aware of the massive loads of carbon footprint we leave behind and are turning to natural and sustainable sources of energy. The idea of putting a solar panel on your rooftop and powering your appliances is becoming increasingly popular as the means to cleaner lifestyle.

Secondly, the household appliance market that we've all gotten used to, want and need, has significantly decreased in cost. These are the appliances that have a constant presence in our everyday lives and give us health and security. For example, a common household item such as a LED lightbulb is now 85 percent lower in overall costs than they were five years ago. On the contrary, if you consider its performance rating, you’ll find that their efficiency when compared to an incandescent bulb, is incredible and has vastly improved. They give you 10 times the amount of light, and last 30 times longer.

Lastly, the biggest and most prominent of changes has been the cell phone revolution. With the rise in technological developments, the cell phone industry has grown tremendously and continues to steadily rise with its latest array of products available on the market. Today, consumers have the option to make payments in small and equal increments over a set time, which has proven to be a more affordable and cost-efficient solution all around.

In summation, these three big events have had a direct impact on the revolution of solar energy and its uses. Generations of companies who have long continued their work in promoting sustainable resources and renewable energy have aided in the recruitment of jobs, educating consumers, and bringing awareness across the globe to countries such as Africa.

This major advancement has promoted access to renewable energy at an affordable cost to anyone wanting a cleaner source of living. The goal isn’t simply to get connected to the grid, it’s to get connected in a way that promotes a cleaner and more environmentally friendly lifestyle, as we aspire towards a fully functioning low-carbon economy.

Due to its geographic location, Africa, proves itself to be an extraordinary opportunity to invest into and promote this change to help build an energy system that will eventually transcend to a zero emissions society altogether.

If you could take a step back and imagine it for a moment… really think about what this could mean: to have an energy system that's not just about subsistence power and doing away with fossil fuels, instead it’s about having a full suite of appliances, tools, and productivity that we're all used to, but rather on a much larger scale that will drive industrial development and expansion.