Decarbonizing The Electric Grid Offers Worldwide Advantages!

A study by Zillow confirmed that solar installations increase a home's resale value by up to $6,000.00 for each kilowatt of solar panels installed.

The rise of solar forces Electric companies to find new ways to store energy during periods of low demand! Installed home solar capacity is expected to increase by a minimum of 10x times by 2040, compared to 2010 levels. This will result in a decline in grid emissions by 50% by 2035 and 70% by 2050!

Installing solar helps reduce the need for producing and procuring electricity, which reduces the amount of electricity that needs to be moved across transmission and distribution lines. On a large scale, this can have a huge benefit. The average US home uses about 12,000 kilowatt hours per year, currently residential solar panels generate enough electricity to power 4.5 million homes in 2024. As of 2024, the United States has witnessed a notable advancement in solar energy adoption within the residential sector, with 4.2 million single-family homes equipped with solar installations! At this rate of solar panel installation within 25 years solar panels could supply half the countries energy usage.

For the panels to produce at this rate to sustain the entire country, around 50 million homes with solar panels would suffice to power half of all 50 states provided they emit about 350W an hour, and there are at least an annual average of four sunlight hours daily. This free energy would drastically reduce the cost of home supplied energy for the entire nation. Between 2020 and 2024 solar power generation tripled. Utility-scale solar facilities generated eight times more power in 2022 than in 2014. Recent studies show that a global transition to 100% renewable energy across all sectors – power, heat, transport and desalination well before 2050 is feasible especially in nations where there isn't a current grid to rebuild infrastructure for.

Solar energy is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources in the US, according to the Department of Energy. The US had about 4 million photovoltaic solar power systems installed at residences at the end of 2022, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. That number has grown by an average of 37% per year. On the global stage a press release in BENGALURU, India (AP) announced — An alliance of nations that push for more solar power worldwide announced nearly $50 million for projects such as mini grids and rooftop installations, mainly in Africa.

At the sidelines of the group’s annual meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, the International Solar Alliance expects a $25 million investment from the Indian government, alongside its own cash injection of $25 million for smaller solar power infrastructure.

Officials from 116 nations are discussing how to harness solar power to ramp up clean energy use and reduce reliance on planet-warming fossil fuels at the gathering, which runs until Thursday.

The United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, as well as more than 30 African countries are members of the ISA. China, the market leader in solar energy, is not yet part of the alliance.

THE ENERGY STORAGE ISSUE

Renewable energy will offer much more power than the current grid can sustain. Storing energy in batteries and water reservoirs can help stabilize grids by absorbing energy when excess supply is available, then releasing stored energy back into the grid when power demand is greater. Likewise, power can be used to manufacture fuel for later use. The surplus of energy, in this case, is stored in a battery bank which is typical for an off the grid solar system. One of the main components of an off the grid system is a battery bank because it's essential to have excess energy to use at night. African nations partnering with the DRC and not allowing foreign destabilization efforts to succeed could reap trillion dollar rewards with platforms of combined Intra African economic protectionism.

Furthermore, embracing solar energy can contribute to reducing reliance on fossil fuels, which currently constitute 79% of Africa's electricity generation, while also addressing greenhouse gas emissions and climate change concerns. Residential solar installations would create the most jobs at 26.6 jobs (in nations that support home solar installation companies) created per Megawatt (MW), while commercial and utility solar installations follow behind at 19.1 and 2.1 jobs created per MW, respectively.

Despite its immense solar power potential, Africa continues to lag behind other continents when it comes to building up grid and off-grid solar capacity, in part due to a lack of investment. Foreign nations outside of the continent will usually only invest in things that continue reinforcement of long term African debt. Solar energy is a sustainable energy source, has a low environmental impact, and promotes energy independence. If an African nation doesn't need you it is harder to exploit and control it! South Africa is the largest producer of solar power capacity in the continent at 6,326 MW, followed by Egypt at 1,724 MW and Ghana with only 49MW. By region, the report said southern Africa generates 6,652 MW of solar power, followed by northern Africa with 3,392 MW. West Africa experiences high levels of sunshine, presenting the region with a unique opportunity for harnessing solar energy.

Solar is now the cheapest form of power available. However, the region hasn’t yet been able to take advantage of the lower costs of PV technologies and attract investments to deploy them on a large scale. It seems the problem is widespread across the continent. In 2021, only 0.5 percent of the $434 billion dollars invested globally in renewable energy production went to African countries, the lowest investment since 2011. There is no rational explanation why the sunniest areas and most suitable for solar power can't get investors except that the investors would rather lose money than see West African nations gain power self sufficiency!

Often referred to as the “Sun continent,” Africa receives more hours of bright sunlight than any other continent. But even with 60 per cent of the world’s solar resources, Africa has only one per cent of solar generation capacity, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)., Start-ups by young entrepreneurs rather than established corporations are offering access to advanced solar energy solutions to the majority of people across Africa. By harnessing the sun’s power and transitioning to clean energy, African entrepreneurs can expect major economic and social developments across the continent to fuel a growing young middle class.

“Solar is particularly attractive because of its positive environmental impact, job creation potential, and economic development potential,” said Mikayla Czajkowski, chief of staff at SunCulture. Headquartered in Nairobi, SunCulture has raised over $40 million to equip rural farmers with solar-powered irrigation systems. Instead of counting on rainfall or revving up diesel or petrol pumps, farmers can now rely on solar-powered systems that are cheaper, use renewable energy and need minimal maintenance. Once the company installs a solar panel on top of a farmer’s house and connects it to a battery-powered water pump, the irrigation system can cover up to three acres.