Solar energy is the way to go for Uganda, experts say
With efforts to save the environment and averting the effects of climate change gaining more traction, experts have opined that solar energy is the way to go for Uganda and the world at large.
Speaking during the 2024 Huawei FusionSolar Uganda partner Summit at Mestil Hotel, Nick Lusson , the Vice President of Huawei Eastern-Africa Digital Power said prices for electricity from national grids have kept on increasing, unlike solar power.
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“Over the last two decades, the price for solar panels has been going down yet the price of diesel and grid electricity have been going up. The levelized cost of solar panels and batteries has been going down tremendously which means it is a viable solution to invest in solar,” Lusson said.
“We have crossed the point where the use of solar is a better financial decision than staying with grid and diesel.”
Lusson said solar being the cheapest source of energy around the world, it makes it the best choice and with countries like Uganda that enjoy sunshine almost throughout the year, this makes it the most viable option.
“You can have realized power throughout the day and night and you don’t have to suffer with blackouts. “
Patrick Mufwoya, the Managing Director for Davis and Shirtliff Uganda said with advancements in technology, solar is helping drive a number of sectors in Uganda.
“For example, let us talk about agriculture. There is currently a lot of focus on sustainability, sufficiency in production of food where solar comes in as an obvious option. Solar is free and you can run systems and increase production of food and in a sustainable way and be able to ensure communities are well fed,” Mufwoya said.
“There has been a lot of innovation, for example, the cost of solar panels 10 years ago was too way high but in the past decade, it has dropped by more than 50%. Improvement in technology is making solar a very affordable solution.”
Sunrise Xie, the Managing Director of Huawei Uganda said the summit held under the theme, ‘Lighting Up a Greener Africa’ aimed at bringing together Huawei Digital Power channel partners as the company releases its latest sustainable energy solutions into the Ugandan market.
“By integrating electronic and digital technologies, Huawei’s ‘4T’ technologies can enable the traditional solar energy industry to be more efficient and more intelligent. Extracting from the words ‘Watt, Heat, Battery, and Bit’. The ‘4T’ technology refers to Huawei’s innovations in the field of power electronics, thermal management, power storage, and Cloud and AI,” Xie said.
“Solar energy is now not only a promising business, but also an industry which can make broader contributions to current and future generations. Technological innovation, strategic perspective, and cooperative mindset are needed more than ever for us to survive and thrive in this domain. “
