By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
More businesses and homes worldwide are resorting to solar energy as pressure mounts on countries to shift away from fossil fuel to green power to prevent the collapse of ecosystems by climate change.
Only 0.35 per cent of Nigeria’s total energy supply comes from hydropower and a mere 0.001 per cent from wind and solar power, in a country heavily dependent on oil for electricity and for export for hard currency.
According to the Geopolitical Gains and Losses (GeGaLo) index, Nigeria ranks 149 out of 156 countries that will benefit from energy transition, but the country is beginning to recognise the inevitability of solar power.
Power stations in space being researched by scientists may boost Nigeria’s effort to supply stable electricity to homes with the added value of affordability and clean energy to stave off environmental pollution.
Households are paying about N4,000 monthly over a three-year period to benefit from the government’s Solar Homes Systems, also called Solar Power Naija, which began in February.
The scheme is being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to fix power supply challenge with priority given to rural areas and urban settlements underserved or cut off from the national grid.
There is an option of outright ownership of solar panels at a cost ranging from N1, 500 per week to N4,000 per month for three years, which will enable as many as 25 million Nigerians to own personal solar systems in their homes.
Falling cost of solar panels
One hour of direct sunlight can produce energy for the entire earth for a year, and the cost of solar panels has fallen 99 per cent for over four decades.
This is according to energymatters.com which, in a report produced below, lists these two surprises among seven facts about solar energy hardly known.
Did you know solar panels are made of silicon, which is also used to make computer chips? That’s why they’re so efficient.
Did you also know that these panels work best when they face south? This means the sun can shine on them all day long, making them more productive.
It is a resource that is clean, abundant and inexhaustible.
Here are seven little known facts about energy harnessed by the sun which will change your perspective on this fantastic resource:
Energy can be stored in salt
Salt has been found as an efficient storage solution for concentrated solar power (CSP) generators as it can store heat from the sun’s rays even after dark.
This means that it could be a perfect solution for storing renewable energy from CSP plants in deserts, where large amounts of unused land and sunlight are plentiful.
Deploys faster than any other resource
Energy from the sun has several benefits, but the most important one is that it can be deployed much quicker than any other electricity generation. When disaster strikes, no electricity source can be built or repaired as quickly.
Space industry first to use renewable technologies
In the 1950s, the space industry began to use renewable technology to provide power aboard spacecraft.
Vanguard 1 – the first artificial satellite run by solar cells – remains the oldest manufactured satellite in orbit, logging more than six billion miles.
Panels are now a standard feature on satellites and rovers exploring other planets like Mars or Venus, as well as for large-scale ground installations that generate clean electricity from sunlight.
One hour of sunlight can power the whole earth for a year
One hour of direct sunlight is all it takes to collect enough energy to generate a year’s worth of energy for the entire earth.
It doesn’t take much, but with this free and powerful resource at our disposal, imagine what could be accomplished?
World’s largest solar plant in California
Ivanpah Power Facility is the world’s largest operating solar thermal plant.
It uses CSP technology to focus 173,500 heliostats, each containing two mirrors, onto boilers located in three power towers.
The plant, which came online in 2014, has a gross capacity of 392 megawatts (MW).
Panels don’t need direct sunlight
It doesn’t matter if it’s cloudy outside or not. They can capture different parts of the sunlight spectrum – so even when the sun isn’t beaming directly onto them, they’ll still be generating electricity for your home.
Cost of panels has fallen 99% since 1977
Lower prices mean that now is a great time to invest in solar power for your home or business. This will save you money on your electric bill and help protect our environment and reduce pollution from fossil fuels.
With so many benefits, there’s no reason not to go green today.