The Bahamas is one of the best places in the world for solar power. We have an abundance of sunshine and a need for affordable, clean, reliable energy. But, despite joining some high-profile public relations campaigns (e.g. Richard Branson’s “Carbon War Room Ten Island Challenge” in 2014), and discussing the possibility of installing large-scale solar panel plants in 2016 and 2017, The Bahamas has been very slow to take advantage of the latest in solar energy technology. We need to follow in the footsteps of other countries in our region. In 2017, Costa Rica powered itself purely with renewable energy for 300 days – no small accomplishment for a nation comprised of some five million people. How did they pull this off? The government is serious about eliminating the use of fossil fuels and are committed to a greener, more sustainable future.
For now, we can start making a difference in our beautiful country by starting at home. In this article, we’ll answer a few questions about solar power and discuss why it’s an easy way for homeowners to do their part in helping the environment while adding value to their home.
How Does Solar Work?
Solar panels crown rooftops, top street lights, and even help keep spacecraft powered. But how do they actually work?
Simply put, a solar panel works by allowing photons, or particles of light, to knock electrons free from atoms, generating a flow of electricity.
Solar panels are actually made up of many smaller units called photovoltaic cells (photovoltaic means that they convert sunlight into electricity). Many cells linked together make up a solar panel. Each photovoltaic cell holds a small disk inside that’s made of a semiconducting material.
To work, photovoltaic cells need to establish an electric field. Much like a magnetic field, which occurs due to opposite poles, an electric field occurs when opposite charges are separated. To get this field, manufacturers mix silicon with other materials (usually phosphorus and boron), giving each side of the disk a positive or negative electrical charge. A couple of other components of the cell turn these electrons into usable power. Metal conductive plates on the sides of the cell collect the electrons and transfer them to wires. At that point, the electrons can flow like any other source of electricity and power your home or business.
What Does Solar Do For The Value Of Your Home?
Solar Power might be a large investment initially, but will eventually pay for itself – generally within a decade. Having a solar system can drastically increase the value of your home, especially in The Bahamas where high electric bills are an inevitability.
Another plus? Solar panels are made to last. They have an expected lifetime of 25-30 years, and some of the first commercially-available panels have crossed that milestone and are still operating almost as well as they did when new.
Nearly all solar panels in the world were installed after 2009, and come with a guarantee that they’ll produce at least 80% of their rated power output after 25 years. Most panels on the market will do better than that, producing about 85% of their rated output after 30 or 35 years.
How Do Solar Panels Hold Up In A Hurricane?
If your worry about the durability of solar panels is keeping you from investing in a solar system, you can set your worries aside! Solar panels undergo plenty of testing as they are designed and developed and, in recent years, experts have had the opportunity to gather data about the ability of solar panels to withstand hurricanes. Through experiences with super storms and hurricanes over the past decade, studies have found that solar panels are a rugged and practical system that can generate electricity for your home, for a city, or for a business when the electrical grid is off-line.
Second to flooding, most of the damage caused by hurricanes is due to the high winds that accompany the storm. Additionally, the wind doesn’t have the courtesy to blow from just one direction; as the eye of the hurricane passes, the winds switch direction.
The wind can cause damage in distinct ways. For example, a large number of solar panel installations are on roofs; the panels stand slightly above the roof’s surface, creating an issue with uplift. Uplift is a force caused by wind blowing between the roof and the panels.
Vendors ensure systems are designed to withstand uplift forces by fastening panels to the roof beams with large lag bolts. As long as the roof itself was properly built and maintained, there is little chance of solar panels tearing the roof off your house due to uplift or other wind forces.
Testing by solar manufacturers includes a certification that the panels can withstand winds of up to 140 miles-per-hour, the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, which has average winds speeds of 130 to 156 mph. In real-world performance, there are reports that nearly all solar panels that were in areas hit by Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irma survived the high winds with few individual panels damaged beyond functioning. Any other losses were due to the destruction of an entire roof or structure.
So don’t let worries about hurricane-force winds keep you from taking advantage of reliable and sustainable solar energy. Join the green revolution today!