Solar Energy: Clean and Green from the Sun.

The Power problem

Nigeria as a country generates, transmits and distributes 11,165.4 Megawatts of electricity according to Wikipedia. While USAID puts the total generated value at 12,522 Megawatts, it also states that on most days only around 4,000 MW of electricity is dispatched for the over 195 million consumers. ^USAID

I really don't know how true this figures are but as at this moment, the electricity in my area Ifa Atai Etoi has been out for the past 5 months while nearby Mbak Etoi last had electric power some 4 years ago.
Beside the problem of generation, we have problems with transmission and distribution of electric power.

Attempted Solution

In an attempt to address this problems, Nigerians have switched to the use of electric power generator sets to meet the power demand for both homes and businesses. Even the most fuel efficient of this generators are still very expensive to run, plus the associated noise and air pollution.

A better solution

Switching to solar is a more effective solution to our power problem, it is cheaper and cleaner.

Needed Materials
The list here is for an Off-Grid Solar solution.

• Solar panels: to convert sunlight into DC electric current during sun-hours.
• Regulators: adjusts the panels output to provide ideal charging conditions.
• Battery: used to store power.
• Inverters: converts the stores power into a form that your appliances prefer.

Functionality of the system

For us to generate electricity from the sun, the most important component we need are Photo voltic cells which are connected together to form a Solar panel.
When photons from the sun gets to the cell, it frees some electrons and the freed electrons are collected together resulting in a single panel like this on producing an output of 12V of direct current at 220A.

_{a Solar Panels}

The output is channeled through a charge controller which functions as a regulator that ensures our battery is always charged with an appropriate amount of current and voltage. The charge controller also makes sure your batteries are not overcharged for any reason.

_{Giving your battery the best charging experience}

In an Off-Grid system like the one I am describing here, the electric power generated by the panels during sun-hours are being saved in a bank of battery. This will be the source of power in the night when the sun is down. So the batteries act as a reservoir and the bigger the reservoir, the more you can save.
^{The larger your reservoir the more power you have}
Due to the fact that batteries can only save Direct Current which may be 12 or 24 volts, while most home appliance in Nigeria require 240 volts of Alternating Currents. The system needs an inverter unit to get the small DC current from the battery, boost and convert into Alternating current that is up to 240 Volts and most preferably running a full sine wave.
_{... a hybrid Inverter gives a better experience ...}

Grid-tied solar
While the description above is that of an Off-Grid solution, a Grid-tied solution which is currently not an option in Nigeria, removes the battery and it's cost. The generated power is directly feed into the national grid and the power company offers you a discount based on the amount of power you are generating during sun-hours.

An offer from Soler City

Soler City located along Oron Road in partnership with Beebeejump Solar offers you an affordable solar solution for your home as it makes a price slash from 320,000 to 250,000 Naira. Putting that in steemit terms based on the current exchange rate of 150.79 then you can now pay as low as 1657.94 Steem Instead of 2122.16 Steem
The deal includes:
• A 160W Solar Panel
• A 150W Inverter
• A 338W h Battery
• A DC Fan
• 2 Bulbs
• A special adapter

You are given the option to pay all 1657.94 Steem at once for the device or spread the amount into a number of months.

The initial cost for installing a Solar powered system is apparently high but in the long run, it is cheaper and cleaner, no noise, no fuel and no carbon dioxide poisoning.

My first solar powered device was my CASIO^fx991ES Calculator, it was so efficient that I used it for years without ever Replacing it's backup battery. When it got bad, I was in for a surprise, It had no backup battery at all.

A lot of community go for Solar powered water management systems for their schools and community. This strikes out the need for fuelling and the maintenance of the generator and once more individuals and communities adopt this alternative, there will be less demand on the national grid and our environment will be less polluted resulting in a greener planet for us all.

Photo Transformation

Photographer	@mauelhooks
Capture Device	Nokia C30
Cropping	remove.bg
Editing	PhotoStudio App
Location	Solar City Uyo

_{Written by @manuelhooks for steemforbetterlife}

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