General Impact of Use of Pv Cells on Society

General impact of use of PV cells on society

Job Creation

Solar energy  projects help in job creation for local societies i.e., workers are needed to plan the project, develop and implement the project, build the solar energy plant, manage the equipment and operate the facility and this would in turn help decrease the unemployment rate of the given area.

Improved welfare

Projects bring about developments where they are implemented like roads, schools, hospitals and shopping complexes. Developments will improve the welfare of local communities from such amenities.

Power remote areas

Currently there are some villages which are not connected to the grid because of high long distance distribution costs. Solar energy will bring power closer hence electrifying them at lower costs. This will improve standard of living and chances for business opportunities in rural areas.

Economics

With more people able to find employment as a result of the increased number of jobs created by the development and operation of solar energy panels, more people would have money to contribute the nation's economy. Also, manufacturing solar energy is less expensive than burning fossil fuels, which is the traditional method of generating electricity. Thus, if businesses or households decide to use solar energy to power electricity in their homes or buildings, their electric bills can be substantially less than if they use energy generated from fossil fuels. Over an extended period of time the financial difference of cheaper electric bills can become quite significant, enabling families and businesses to inject more of their money into the economy. Solar energy would have increased income, purchasing power and tax revenues.

Health

Generating energy from solar panels emits very little pollution into the air, and thus solar energy is a much cleaner source of energy than the burning of fossil fuels. Cities or areas that decide to use solar energy to power the buildings would thus enjoy a cleaner quality of air in the region, which in turn can make the citizens and workers in the area more healthy.

Displacement

Solar energy plants need a lot of space so communities can end up being relocated.

Impact on the environment

• Renewability of local environment is improved.
• Natural resource efficiency is improved.
• Solar is a key driver to reaching climate and energy goals as greenhouse effect is greatly reduced.
• Provision of sustainable energy.

Reduced water usage 

Unlike coal or nuclear plants, which may draw 20 to 60 gallons of water for every kilowatt-hour of electricity produced, solar energy requires little to no water to operate.

Renewable energy

Solar power is most remarkable as a source of unlimited, abundant energy

Life-Cycle Global Warming Emissions

 While there are no global warming emissions associated with generating electricity from solar energy, there are emissions associated with other stages of the solar life-cycle, including manufacturing, materials transportation, installation, maintenance, and decommissioning and dismantlement. Most estimates of life-cycle emissions for photovoltaic systems are between 0.07 and 0.18 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour.

Land Use and Ecological Impacts

In the point of generating electricity at a utility-scale, solar energy facilities necessitate large areas for collection of energy. Due to this, the facilities may interfere with existing land uses and can impact the use of areas such as wilderness or recreational management areas. As energy systems may impact land through materials exploration, extraction, manufacturing and disposal, energy footprints can become incrementally high. Thus, some of the lands may be utilized for energy in such a way that returning to a pre-disturbed state necessitates significant energy input or time, or both, whereas other uses are so dramatic that incurred changes are irreversible.  

Impacts to Soil, Water and Air Resources

The construction of solar facilities on vast areas of land imposes clearing and grading, resulting in soil compaction, alteration of drainage channels and increased erosion. Central tower systems require consuming water for cooling, which is a concern in arid settings, as an increase in water demand may strain available water resources as well as chemical spills from the facilities which may result in the contamination of groundwater or the ground surface.

As with the development of any large-scale industrial facility, the construction of solar energy power plants can pose hazards to air quality. Such threats include the release of soil-carried pathogens and results in an increase in air particulate matter which has the effect of contaminating water reservoirs.

Level of society’s acceptance or rejection of the use PV cells for Power production and lighting in Botswana

Society’s level of acceptance or rejection can be a function of the number of photovoltaic projects for power and lighting nationwide and society’s engagement in them. The number of solar projects increase every year which proves to us that the Tswana society really accept the use of PV cells.

Photovoltaic Power Projects

There are presently three large grid-connected systems in Botswana.

• A single large-scale 1300 kW solar farm in Phakalane to the north of Gaborone;
• A recently constructed, but not yet operational, 20 kW EU-funded University of Botswana research system installed in Mokolodi village, south of Gaborone.
• A 34 kW system, owned by Scales Associates and located in the Broadhurst area of Gaborone near the Western Bypass.
• There are a number of other small-scale installations with similar configurations, i.e. grid connected but just using the grid as backup that have been installed on residences in Gaborone and surroundings.

To fully comprehend the society’s level of acceptance I will quote Mr Mokaila:

• “Makoalia said the country has also embarked on an ambitious plan to generate electricity from gas and renewable energy such as solar. BPC spokesperson Spencer Moreri gave an update that a total of 118 prospective companies have applied to be considered as partners in the generation of power through renewable sources. Botswana is also banking on a government-to-government agreement with Israel, a key partner. The two countries are confident they will be able reach an agreement for a 900MW solar energy project.” (https://www.esi-africa.com/news/renewable-energy-to-expand-botswana-power-sector/)

Shumba Coal

• ”Shumba Coal said the project will initially produce 100MW and increase to 200 MW over an unspecified period of time. The project will include an initial installation of 400,000 photovoltaic cells in an area of 200 hectares, the company said.” (http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFKCN0PA1IE20150630)

Letsatsi Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant (PIN)

”The plant will have an installed capacity of 5 MW. It is a reference for a network of solar power plants with total installed capacity of 245 MW, located in 17 population centres across Botswana.” The fact that the plants will be installed in 17 population centres of Botswana is enough evidence to prove that Botswana fully supports PV utilisation.

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