Is an off grid solar system worth it?

Is an off grid solar system worth it?

Lights are everywhere in your world. You may not know what off grid solar system is. But in African countries, many people are using off grid solar system. What is off grid solar system? Why use it?

In the first place, we need to know what is off grid solar system. Off grid solar system is an independent power generation system.In the case of light, it can use solar panels to convert solar energy into electric energy to power the equipment and charge the battery; In overcast weather or no light, the battery pack supplies power to the equipment. It is mostly used in areas far away from the power grid.

Then, we need to know about the power consumption in Africa. The African continent has the lowest per capita power consumption in the world. There are problems such as power shortage, unstable power supply and insufficient power infrastructure. In 2018, nearly half of African residents (600 million people) still have no access to electricity; At present, about 1.6 billion people in the world have no electricity, of which 45% come from rural areas in Africa, and another 10% of the urban population in Africa have no electricity.

Moreover, let’s take a look at the application status of off grid solar system in Africa. Africa has become one of the largest markets for off grid solar energy in the world. For a long time, the market of off grid solar energy in Africa is mainly concentrated in East Africa, especially Kenya and Tanzania. In 2015, East Africa accounted for more than half of the global investment in off grid solar systems. In recent years, with the maturity of the East African market, the market focus of off grid solar energy in Africa has gradually shifted to central and West African countries.  According to the statistics of the world bank, the absolute number of people in sub Saharan Africa without access to electricity comes from Nigeria (89 million), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (68 million) and Ethiopia (61 million). Countries in southern Africa play an important role in the global supply-demand relationship of off grid solar energy.

Finally, taking Africa as an example, let’s talk about “Is an off grid solar system worth it?”. Firstly, for most low-income families, off grid solar products are low-cost and affordable. The average monthly cost of kerosene lamp lighting for the extremely poor in the world is about $1.15 (excluding the cost of kerosene lamp itself). A candle costs $0.13. Each candle burns for 50 minutes, and 1 pieces a night. The candle lighting cost is 3.9 dollars a month, and the candle lighting cost is 46.8 dollars per year. For the extremely poor in areas without electricity, living lighting expenditure deepens their poverty. If the extremely poor buy an off grid solar product “Candle Killer” lamp from Power-Solution company with the money for candles a month, the lamp can be used for three years, which can save more than 30 dollars and everyone can afford it. Secondly, off grid solar energy system relies on solar power generation. It is clean energy, renewable resources, safe and reliable. It has more advantages than traditional candle and kerosene lamp lighting. Candles and kerosene lamps will produce harmful gases during combustion, and excessive inhalation will lead to respiratory tract infection. These harmful gases will pollute the environment and may cause fire if you are not careful. Using off grid solar products does not need to consider these problems. Thirdly, the off grid solar power generation system can operate independently without regional restrictions and fuel consumption. The power facilities in many African countries are not perfect, and the power supply in remote mountainous areas is a big problem. Off grid solar power generation products can generate power locally, which just solves this problem. Fourthly, Africa’s geographical location can have sufficient sunshine duration and rich solar energy resources, so there is no need to worry about the charging of off grid solar products. From the perspective of African people in areas without electricity, off grid solar products have brought them a lot of convenience and helped them solve many problems in life. It is worth buying off grid solar products.

A product exists because the market needs it and some people need it. Off grid solar systems are needed by many people.