Solar sober

New technology often falls victim to ignorance and exaggeration.

Because of typhoons and recurring blackouts or power failure, our discomfort and frustration levels rise to the point that we justify spending hard earned money on products and technology we don’t really understand. What is worse is that we over simplify technology to justify buying them and that often results in disappointment, wrong use or under use of technology. One example of such technology involves Solar Power.

What used to be a thing of the future is now today’s reality. Roof mounted solar water heaters are now part of the residential landscape. If you’re an electronics buff, you’ve probably noticed that electro accessory stores like CDR king and similar outlets are now selling solar panels and complete solar kits. Go to Raon St. which is the mecca for electronic parts, you will see solar panels being sold the same way they sell rubber sandals or flip flops. Nothing wrong with all of that except that the vendors who can’t even tell you what PV stands for, actually tell buyers that the system or kit is “plug and play” and will instantly give you FREE electricity.

In one brochure of a company claiming to be “Solar Specialists” they make the following claim:

 “Forget Brownout Protect your home & Family Be Self Sufficient Free Electricity — Before P18.888 NOW P15,500.”  

The company then tells you that the kit will allow you to use a 12v fan, 2 LED lamps and provides you with a mobile charger for your phone or perhaps your tablet. For someone constantly experiencing rotating 4-hour blackouts, the “cure-all” prospects from Solar Power can be very tempting. The idea of having the latest technology will surely entice the “prepers” and disaster response addicts to buy one or two for themselves. Yes Solar Power or any form of power is always attractive and enticing to the human mind. 

In fact, this was partly the reason why participants paid nearly P40,000 to attend the SOLAR PV Boot Camp conducted by the Meralco Power Academy. At least 20% of the class were people who experience unpleasant living conditions due to the absence of electricity. In fact 2 army officers went on personal leave and attended the seminar out of pocket simply because they wanted the right training and the right information on the “new technology.” We even had 2 foreigners fly in for the 5-day program in order to get the right fundamentals. What they all had in common was that they were smart enough to Study Now – Buy Later because it spared them from “the curse of the ignoramus.”

Solar Power is not a “one-pill cure-all” type of technology and it is not cheap. Just to produce the solar cell requires a ridiculous amount of energy to vaporize the super hard silica crystal that looks like black shiny rock in your hands. Only through mass productions in the billion units does the process become cost effective. The PV panels start out from small and cheap of about a thousand pesos to over P20,000 for the high-end quality panels. Then you have to buy the batteries, inverter, switches, fuse box, meters etc., etc.

Everyone assumes that “solar power is cheap because power comes from the sun for free. If it were that simple we should all be able to stand under the sun and “energize” ourselves and be living batteries. But we can’t because it requires technology, equipment and knowledge. People think that being in the tropics gives us a distinct advantage because we get more sunshine than the rest of the world. Someone in Tibet or Alaska apparently has a better chance of producing better quality power because just like we were told in science class; heat is not ideal. Solar panels operate at the laboratory ideal temperature of 25 degrees C and not the average tropical temperatures that are above 30 degrees C.

I also discovered that passing clouds, rain, the angle of the sun, the distance of the sun, the reflection of light from other structures, the thickness of wires, and how you use electricity and when you use electricity or need electricity determines if you should use solar technology or not. It is ideal in a no-choice situation where there is no electric power company, where it costs a fortune and requires a lot of time and effort to get fuel and run generators like the Ayungin shoal that’s being guarded by Philippine soldiers, or if you require minimal power and impact of machinery in your environment like island resorts. It is also justified in a setting where the investment will create livelihood, improve the quality of education, living conditions and medical services all of which are abstract and cannot be quantified on a spread sheet.

A residential or emergency system would require anything from 1 to 3 panels while a residential system might go from 6 to 20 panels depending on your power requirements and space available. The “string of panels” must always be equal as in same number of panels for each row or the “imbalance” will “derate” or reduce the efficiency of your system. A lot of people think they can use ordinary car batteries as power storage banks for solar. No, you can’t because if you do your car battery will last for only one year maximum. You need deep cycle batteries used in speedboats, golf cars etc., or dedicated solar power batteries. Problem is they cost a ton compared to car batteries, but the good news is Ramcar/Motolite is now developing the product and has set up their own solar facility for testing purposes.

These are just basic but vital information to any newbie thinking about Solar Power in their future. The Power Academy Boot Camp tripled my knowledge on the technology and for that I thank my Tito, Mr. Elpi Cuna was the one who helped get my sponsorship into the program with the cooperation of Meralco’s Corporate Affairs group namely Joe Zaldariaga and Cyrel Garnida. Thank you also to the Power Academy officers and Sean White all of whom were so generous with their expertise and assistance. More Power!

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