The Importance of Solar & How It Has Changed Lives

 

 

Nowadays, we keep hearing about solar energy, which is considered one of the best ways to lower carbon emissions worldwide. Solar energy is considered important in our lives mainly because it is a clean way of producing energy; it is renewable. With the help of innovative technologies, this energy can be distributed more than the average capacity consumption. The demand for solar energy is increasing daily as people require it for an uninterrupted electricity supply to boost their business, or simple homeowners require it to power their house and lower electric bills. There are various reasons why solar energy is important and how it can change lives.

 

Supports The Environment

Solar energy is a completely renewable method that is beneficial for the environment. Solar is the best way to produce renewable energy, whether you own a business or are a simple house owner. Such energy helps reduce carbon-based emissions generated from diesel generators or peter engines that pollute the air or water. Climate change is a serious matter since we face the worst climate due to pollution each day.

 

Feasibility in Electric Prices

Most utility companies increase their prices which affects the general public, and these prices are unreliable as they might fluctuate. However, solar energy has turned the tables by not only offering renewable energy but also providing a cost-effective way to help provide zero electric bills.

 

Building New Job Opportunities

The solar industry is booming daily since the demand has increased exponentially due to its benefits, such as offering backup energy, providing uninterrupted electricity, lowering electric bills, and much more. These opportunities create jobs for people or businesses interested in installing clean, renewable energy. The more these resources are used, the more job opportunities open.

 

Commercial & Private

One of the main objectives for solar-based energy is that it can be used within the commercial sector or privately within houses. It’s a one-time investment for many homeowners; the same goes for commercials, which can prove quite profitable for energy companies. Having a solar system can offer great returns over the years; however, it is quite costly; businesses have invested in getting solar energy to save the environment. Most energy companies offer solar financing to help industries, such as Gream Energy, which offers a 6% fixed markup that can be paid within a 3 to 5 years timeframe.

 

Local Options

Renewable energy produced by solar systems can benefit homeowners and businesses since most of the products are imported from countries like the US or Germany. Some of the products these days are locally produced. Having their own solar-based energy allows people to generate their own electricity supply instead of getting from different parts of the world.

 

Better Grid Safety

Solar energy is a natural resource from the sun, making it completely renewable with fewer power outages. A natural resource like solar offers the grid more safety since the environment is being protected and very few carbon-based emissions are spreading.

 

Using More Unutilized Land 

Once the use of solar energy expands, this will increase the demand for more land, especially lands that are not being utilized. Each country has a big chunk of land, whether within the city or in urban areas, that is just being wasted. Once renewable energy like solar systems is installed, the value of the land will increase exponentially, providing profit to many landowners.

The Difference Between On-Grid & Hybrid Solar Systems

Solar energy production is one of the most environmentally friendly & cheapest electricity methods worldwide. With the help of solar energy, people can easily avoid diesel generators or other carbon emission-based devices that can harm the environment. The solar industry has grown vastly since it is affordable, easily accessible, and an attractive option for homeowners or businesses. Currently, two types of solar systems, called on-grid & hybrid, are considered quite popular within the solar market. Both of these systems have the same purpose: producing electricity. However, they are completely different from one another.

 

On-Grid Solar System

On-Grid based solar energy is directly linked with the electric grid and can’t work when the grid is down. They can produce solar energy when the sun is out, and the grid is functioning. These systems are less viable than hybrid-based solar energy systems, as they can’t create power during load shedding and high blackouts. On-grid solar-based energy systems require energy storage. A surplus amount of energy can’t be stored for future utilization. Nonetheless, these systems allow net-metering, which means a great amount of power can be offered back to the grid. This system is quite affordable but unhelpful during load shedding.

 

Benefits of On-Grid System 

Although the on-grid system depends on the grid’s power supply, there are some perks of having such a system.

 

  • Provides Savings Through Net Metering 

Solar panels will usually produce more electricity than what you consume. The customer can use this excess energy on the main power grid rather than storing it in batteries. Most power grid companies like to purchase the extra energy from homeowners or businesses, which benefits them since the payments get adjusted with the utility bills. Net metering is vital in this scenario, especially from a financial perspective.

 

  • Affordable & Easy Installation

An on-grid system does not require any form of storage, so there is no need for batteries. This can help customers reduce a great amount of cost, making the system quite affordable. Installing an on-grid system is quite easy since it requires a limited amount of tools & technology, plus very little maintenance is needed.

 

Hybrid Solar System

The hybrid solar system is just like an on-grid system regarding solar energy production, yet it has the advantage of being self-sufficient from the power grid. This system works non-stop, allowing it to help store excess energy that can be used during the night or when the customer suffers from power outages. Peak hours can affect the electric bill; however, the hybrid solar system produces enough energy to assist you in avoiding such heavy costs. Installing a hybrid system can guarantee customers better savings and a great investment return. Although the hybrid system is great, it is quite expensive due to the cost of inverters and batteries.

 

Benefits of Hybrid Solar System

Getting a hybrid system can be expensive, but it has its benefits. It is less costly than the off-grid system & it is a part of smart solar.

 

  • Less Costly Than Off-Grid

Off-grid systems are considered quite costly since they require a great abundance of batteries to help store the energy; however, in a hybrid system, a low quantity of batteries is necessary to store energy as a backup. In case your battery runs out of energy at night, you can use the power grid to store energy which will also be an inexpensive method.

 

  • Smart Solar 

New innovations have been introduced due to hybrid solar systems like new inverters, which help businesses or homeowners to reap benefits from electric utility prices all day. Solar panels can produce more energy during noon just before peak hours begin. Storing energy for a limited time and later the energy can be sold whenever the electricity demand is required.

 

The Advantages of Net Metering & How It Can Help Save You Money?

Embracing solar energy provides many residential owners with a high number of benefits. One of these benefits includes net metering, also known as net energy metering (NEM), which allows people to credit any excess amount of renewable energy generated from solar panels and offer it back to the grid. When any house generates a high amount of extra energy sold to the grid, they adjust this money within your utility bills giving you full economic value.

 

Solar energy’s job is to generate electricity during the day when the sun is out; however, during the middle of the day, people use a very limited amount of energy, even more than your house needs. A net metered system connected to the solar panels redirects the energy to the grid spinning your electric meter backward. The credited energy is added to your utility, giving you a real retail advantage towards your electricity account. During the evening, solar energy isn’t produced; eventually, residential owners take electricity from the grid, which can impact your electric meter. Both the credited amount of electricity and the amount you use from the grid are balanced in your bill; therefore, this process is called net metering.

 

Usually, in Pakistan, people come across high utility bills, especially during inflation; however, with net metering, your energy is credited, which can be carried forward from month to month, depending on your utility bills and monthly usage. Depending on the owners, this credit energy can be stored and used in the summers or winters.

 

Advantages of Net Metering

A net metering system has its advantages compared to other systems like off-grid or hybrid.

  • Saving On Utility Bills 

One of the best advantages for residential owners is having a solar net metering system which can help them save millions of rupees on utility bills. As described earlier that net metering was designed to make adjustments to your bills or eliminate your energy usage from the grid; however, there are fixed taxes that cannot be removed from your accounts.

 

  • Short-Term Paybacks 

Most residential owners would have a short-term payback duration compared to others since net metering offers credit energy. Owners with solar will save more costs instead of paying more, therefore recovering their investment much faster. Having net metering isn’t the only thing that will affect your solar payback. Items like inverters, wires, solar panels, installation, and other products also play a vital role in your payback.

 

  • Lowers Pressure On The Grid

Each day the grid faces a heavy load & the best way to reduce such stress is through solar panels by generating their energy and distributing that energy to the grid. Since residential owners are not using the grid’s energy less, people are consuming the grid’s energy which means less load shedding. With net metering, the extra amount of energy being transferred to the grid can help the non-solar users meet their need for electricity, which means a high amount of pressure is reduced from the grid.