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Hi friends, this is @kay-owobia and I'm here to participate in this solar contest here's the link to the original post. Before I commence my content, this is a great content and I'd love my friends @mjoe @alexmove.witness @balogunayomi to join this amazing contest alongside their full support to the solar installation project.

Talking about solar, whenever I hear solar what comes to my mind is the sun. This isn't surprising no doubt as I know that many would probably say the same.

The sun itself has been a beautifully accomplished project itself by God with the ability to heat and illuminate the whole earth and even provide a means of electrical power supply for everyone. This power which is called solar power.

Solar power produces solar energy which had proven very useful dating from time past. It had been used with magnifying glasses to light fires, to dry things especially farm produce and even generate electricity through the help of a device known as solar panel which helps us connect or draw that energy into our homes and used in our other electronical appliances.

How does this solar energy work?

In terms of generating electricity, this is done through different processes; photovoltaic technology, and a concentrated solar power energy technologysystem.

concentrated solar power technology

In this technology system, mirrors or lenses like parabolic troughs are used to concentrate a large amount of sunlight into a little area. This concentrated light when converted to heat is able to steam a turbine and power a generator.

Photovoltaic technology:
This technology uses a semiconductor that has a photovoltaic effect to convert solar energy into direct electrical power

Components of the photovoltaic system

Solar cells- these are made from silicon and covered with a thin film

Solar panel- this device traps the energy of the sun converting it into direct currents.

Solar inverter: this stores the direct curent trapped by the panel and converts it to alternating current to be used.

Benefits of solar energy

Solar energy is a clean source of natural renewable energy and I so much subscribe to its usage. Pets see a few usage of this energy.

1| It is drawn from a natural source- the sun and can be renewed and lasts long for aleast a few years before thinking of changing some components.

2| unlike the many fossil fuels which produces harmful gases when used to power electricity. Solar energy is pure, clean and devoid of such harmful gases.

3| solar energy is easy to install in any home. You just need a panel to trap the energy and an inverter to store it.

4| solar energy is sound free unlike most generators which comes with so much sound pollution. The panel traps light silently.

5| Installing a solar system in your home is pretty much less expensive than connecting to the conventional power supply which requires heavy sun of money especially when the power is being dragged from a long distance ( probably from another state to yours).

6| with solar energy you can be sure of 24/7 electric power supply in your home or offices. You'll no longer have to wait for the conventional power supply which happens in some areas. With solar energy, so long as theres a bit of sun energy being trapped you can be sure of a constant supply of light.

Disadvantages

1| solar energy comes in sizes as such not everyone might be able to purchase very big panels that cover all the appliances and gadgets in the house especially if the house is very big or there are very many powerful engines like a grinding machine, pumping machine etc.

2| Weather challenges can proof to be an obstacle. In some cases where it may rain for almost a week at a stretch as it once happened in lagos this year. If solar is the only supply of energy in your home you may be stranded when your stored energy gets exhausted.

3| It needs maintenance as the battery might start failing and go unnoticed which might strand you.

4| Original products( panels and inverter) may be exchanged for fake ones which will happen to be a loss to you when it spoils faster than expected or might not even last long or behaves abnormally.

Benefit of solar energy in my environment:

In nigeria, power supply has always been a big issue and drag between the people and the government, if a constant solar power is being introduced to every home in nigeria, that would be a huge change as;

• Students would barely wear rumpled uniforms

• Gadgets would be fully charged

• Appliances would be fully operated

• companies and industries would run better

• it would reduce the constant purchase of fuels which keeps sapping from the purse of little incomes.

• there would be no need for cool rooms generators which release harmful gases to the environment.

• prescence of electricity itself is good life and everyone wants to experience that. There would be just so much benefit and more if this happens, it would touch many lives even mine and that's why I keep supporting the @smilenigeria solar installation project led by @ubongudofot.

Solar gadgets I have used

• Back in my aunt's house, she normally used solar power but it wasn't big enough to pump her water so she rather uses it for charging and use of other appliances.

• My dad once bought a solar rechargeable lamp worth 3000 naira in the Nigerian currency equally to about 26 steem.
  For sometime, the lamp proved good but gradually after some time it started malfunctioning it didn't really last that much long so guess it twas not really an original one.
  

• I have also used another solar lamp. Orange in colour, this time it is very strong and worth 11000 naira in Nigerian currency equally about 95 steem. The lamp has a very strong powering capacity it can charge phones a well and is very bright with the ability to bend it in different directions.

Solar energy is very vital and should be widely adopted by the world at large we could take little steps in doing this in different ways such as setting a percentage ( preferably 25%) to @smilenigeria. I have set mine, do well to join in this project.

Heres my introduction post