1. generating power is EXPENSIVE
This is why power generation should be one of the priorities of the government and should not be left for individuals to tackle.
in the United states, the government supports its citizen s by paying 40% of the cost of generating clean energy if you intend using solar power or wind energy. meaning if you are to set up a 10kva solar power system in your house that would typically cost about $20,000 (twenty thousand dollars) you only have to pay $12,000 (twelve thousand dollars), but this is not the case in Nigeria. here you pay 100% of the bill without government support.

2. solar power is expensive
Sorry but this is the plain truth. Technological advancements have made solar power generation cheaper, BUT it is not yet cheap enough to be affordable by everyone that needs alternative source of energy. dont be fooled by adverts that would tell you that you can power your house with solar for ridiculously low prices over the years, solar power companies in Nigeria and suppliers of related equipment have been trying their best to ensure that they offer the cheapest prices possible in order to encourage patronage. unfortunately this has led to them giving cheap, but unreliable services that would keep giving their clients sleepless nights as it wont last and wont work as expected. presently it costs about $1/N200 to generate 1watt of solar energy meaning you will need at least N200,000 to generate 1000watts of electricity. anything less is a fraud.

3. Solar power is not only for the rich, YOU can afford it if you use a generator
Believe it or not most Nigerians are paying up to 3 times what it will cost them to generate solar energy on just buying petrol or diesel in a year!
CONSIDER THIS
If you need to power an average house of 2-3 bedrooms in Nigeria, you will need about 1.5kw-2kw of electricity supply.
A 1.5-2kw generator will consume about N1000 of petrol to work for 24hours
In 7 days that is= N7,000

In a month that is =N31,000

in a year that is =N365,000

In 2years that is = N730,000 just on fueling
WHILE, solar power systems of 1.5-2kw only needs about N90,000 every 2yrs for battery change.

the solar panels dont need replacement for at least 25 years!

so you can never compare the cost of solar energy to the cost of using a petrol generator. You want 24hrs of electricity? then better choose solar energy than relying on your generator. it might seem cheap cos it only take N500 0r N1,000 from you everyday, but imagine saving all that money instead

DRealGeesam:
THE UGLY COST OF GENERATING YOUR OWN ELECTRICITY!

4 solar panels have very long life spans
have you seen a 25year old petrol generator before? most likely NO. but solar panels can last for 25years and yet they keep working but only at lower capacity cos they will only give a fraction of their intended output at this point, but they dont stop working.

5. Solar power is Not the best or cheapest!
Yes! shocking right? but true. solar is not the most efficient or the best. Wind turbines generate much more electricity while occupying lesser space and they also work at night!but installing wind turbines in an urban area is not practical that is why it is not has popular.

6. solar power generation from the solar panel is not stable
you need 1kw of solar power? dont install 1kw cos you will be disappointed! best you install 3kw if you really want to use the solar energy all the time at full capacity. this is called "SYSTEM OVERSIZING" this way you get to really enjoy your solar power generation and have enough power to charge your batteries against night use
clouds, rainy weather, dust, shadows, all drastically affects solar energy generation from your system.

7.Need a battery bank if not grid tied to a realiable grid
our PHCN grid here in Nigeria is no where near realiable, so sorry, you will neede a battery bank to smoothout the flauncuations of electricity generation from the panels and also backup you generated power against times when the sun goes down (night use)

8.The batteries are the weakest link
Be ready to change batteries, but remember that is is steal FAR cheaper than buying fuel.

9. Not suitable for powering heavy machinery majorly because the panels need space
it will take serious CASH and SPACE to power heavy machinery with solar power. this is the plain truth. that is why u dont see industries being powered by solar. A simple Airconditioning system can double the cost of you using solar to power your house. apart from cost, another issue is space. and not just space but very open space without trees and building causing obstruction.

10. TOTALLY worths it that even individuals in developed countries where there is no problem of electricity supply (such as the United States) still use it. people use it to cut their electricity bills in developed countries up to 90%. meaning there is electricity supply from the main grid, yet the use solar so has to save money. this means you can decide to say good bye to PHCN here in nigeria and only use solar power if you really want to.

it is cheap (when you look at the long term cost), it is easy to operate, no noice, no pollution, reliable and gives you independence. You only live once, dont let PHCN make your life a boring frustrated one. solar power is a feasible alternative i think every right thinking Nigerian should go for if they can afford it.

Redoil:
if i want to generate 5kva of electricity for my business centre how much will it cost me

DRealGeesam:

5kva will cost about N1.2m

peaceland:
Dear Professor,
I have been trying to ask you a question so thank you for this opportunity sir.
1. issue of lighting - i have been reading online and want to know what are the lighting protection features incorporated with solar panels. Most homes in Nigeria do not have the lightning protection installed and with the added element of possible added risk of panels on top of the houses poses; will that not increase the risk.
2. i read somewhere (think from your earlier educative thread) that the rectangular shaped ones are not the best but in the picture of the young man holding 2 panels it seem that was the type he is holding.
3. what are the maintenance 'must dos' for solar power system - from the panels down to the battery to make the system last
thank you.

NL1960:


N1.2m for 5kva and that means 2.5kva might come to about N600k. That is where the problem is. How many people have between N600k to N1.2m to commit at once to solar?. Solar is cheaper in the long run but remember that in the long run, we are all dead according to the Economists. If somebody for example wants to go to solar, for how many years will he need to save up the amount and what happens before then?.

These are the issues why solar is not popular. The startup cost is much and not many people have that amount. A barber that operates a barbing salon cannot afford that initial cost but he can easily afford a 1.2kva generator and fuels it everyday from the proceeds of his business and when there are no customers, he does not use the generator which means the fuel is conserved.

DRealGeesam:

Yes it is important to install lighting arrestors with the installation will post pictures later.

That is a polycrystalline solar module. Yes, it is not as good as the monocrystalline solar panels but it is not bad either. The pro to using it is cos it is cheaper the con is that it's production can drop by about 5% in high temperatures. In an oversized system this makes no difference so yep, it can be used and it is being used All over the world when all I've said above is all put intro consideration.

For maintenance. There is not much you can do. Climbing ur roof to clean then is not realistic, but if you notice any obvious obstruction on the panels, then u need to get it off. The most important thing is to use your system within the limit recommended. Don't over discharge the batteries. The rest will take care of itself.

peaceland:
Thanks Sir,
so that will be part of your quote at installation?
well done sir.
Also use this thread to educate on battery types
I am thinking that as a way of managing the cost; one can get the initial batteries & inverter first and the panels later or get the panels first with say 2 batteries and increase the batteries later.
Perhaps you can help educate us on the practicalities of this too.
Solar is the way to go and the earlier we debunk all myths the better.
Thank you

peaceland:
Dear Professor,
I have been trying to ask you a question so thank you for this opportunity sir.
1. issue of lighting - i have been reading online and want to know what are the lighting protection features incorporated with solar panels. Most homes in Nigeria do not have the lightning protection installed and with the added element of possible added risk of panels on top of the houses poses; will that not increase the risk.
2. i read somewhere (think from your earlier educative thread) that the rectangular shaped ones are not the best but in the picture of the young man holding 2 panels it seem that was the type he is holding.
3. what are the maintenance 'must dos' for solar power system - from the panels down to the battery to make the system last
thank you.

DRealGeesam:
THE UGLY COST OF GENERATING YOUR OWN ELECTRICITY!
Batteries don't have to replaced every two years. If you buy the right batteries and you size your system well batteries should last longer than 5 years

cruxkhalif:
What's the make of the batteries in the picture above?

chris81964:
They are Trojan batteries. Manufactured in the USA by Trojan.

DRealGeesam:

5kva will cost about N1.2m

fr3do:


BLOOD OF ABEL

hahn:


No be beans