Why PDM beneficiarieswill struggle to adopt solar energy
What you need to know:
- Solar energy offers immense economic benefits to individuals and is environmentally safe
The government wants solar power to be harnessed to generate income and transform people’s lives. Solar energy has mostly been used for lighting in homes, schools, hospitals and other commercial enterprises.
The commissioner for renewable energy at the Ministry of Energy while giving remarks recently during a district dialogue in Wakiso on the productive use of solar energy in the agriculture value chain urged beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model (PDM) to adopt solar energy as a tool to fight poverty in their households.
While this call is timely and constructive, it overlooks the significant challenges that continue to hinder the adoption of solar energy in Uganda, especially among rural communities that the PDM programme seeks to empower.
Uganda undeniably has the potential for solar energy, which is a clean and sustainable option to the traditional sources used, especially in these communities.
Solar energy offers immense economic benefits to individuals and is environmentally safe. It has the potential to enhance productivity and economic participation in rural and underserved communities.
Despite the potential for solar to transform people’s lives through various income-generating activities, the reality for consumers is different.
Even though solar energy might be affordable to maintain in the long run, the initial investment costs are high for most households. The cost of a basic solar home system that can be used for lighting, phone charging and a few more appliances may not be affordable for many intending consumers.
According to Easy Power, a solar power solutions provider, a basic solar system that can sustain lighting, phone charging and a personal computer costs approximately Shs4.5 million and one that can sustain up to a television set and radio costs Shs6.5 million, meaning that a system that can be used for commercial purposes is more expensive.
This cost is prohibitively high for a small-scale farmer or a small business owner, depending on the PDM funds for their economic activities.
Many rural areas in Uganda lack infrastructure in terms of technical support for both proper solar installation and maintenance services and as a result, even those who manage to purchase the solar systems experience challenges of poor installation, making the maintenance costs even higher. With the availability of unregulated and substandard solar products on the market, which fail after a few months, uninformed buyers from rural communities stand a risk of being exploited.
The above limitations, coupled with a lack of awareness on the available options, benefits and functionality of solar energy systems keeps away potential users.
The government, through the Ministry of Energy must therefore address these challenges that hinder the adoption of solar energy for it to be a tool for economic transformation.
The government should conduct awareness campaigns targeting rural and off-grid communities on the use, benefits, and practicality of solar energy.
Solar equipment and technicians should be regulated to ensure that buyers receive standard and lasting products and that installation and maintenance are done by certified technicians at regulated prices.
Additionally, to increase adoption, the government should partner with suppliers to provide subsidised quality solar systems to low-income households.
Solar energy indeed has the potential to promote economic growth, especially for rural communities, but encouraging PDM beneficiaries and Ugandans at large to embrace it without addressing the barriers that have hindered its adoption in the first place seems like yet another development dream delayed.
It is important for the government to go beyond rhetoric and invest in making solar accessible to the people who need it most.
Vivian Ainembabazi, [email protected]
