Sustainable Solutions for a Brighter Tomorrow
Green Energy in Sahel-Alma
We are 12th grade students at Our Lady school of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family Sahel-Alma. We have chosen to work on Solar Energy in the Sahel- Alma region for our community service project.
In collaboration with a technical team from ESRI Lebanon, this project demonstrates the advantages, economic significance, and ecological value of using solar panels in Lebanon in the Sahel-Alma area.
In cooperation with the school administration, Mrs. Maryse Fadel Sawma was in charge of overseeing this initiative. It was created and put into action by Antoun Stephan, Carl Boutros, Charbel Saade, Chloe Njeim, Giorgio Matar, Joey Abillama, Karen Chahwan, Lana Matar, Majd Dirany, Marc Karam, Serena Bardawil and Serena Breidy.
A brief overview
Solar energy represents a hot topic at the moment. The sun, as Earth's most abundant source of energy, presents a clean and reliable means to power our world.
When considering home energy options, it is important to understand how solar energy works. When sunlight hits a solar panel, a photovoltaic cell turns that light into direct current (DC) electricity. An inverter then converts it to alternating current (AC), which is what most devices in your home use.
Solar energy can be leveraged in vast applications, such as powering homes, businesses, and vehicles. Lebanese citizens have increasingly explored integrating solar energy systems, particularly after experiencing power shortages from generators and public electricity. Solar energy is definitely a good investment on the long term.
Why Green Energy
We have decided to establish a project that focuses on solar energy because it strongly relates to Sustainable Development Goal 7. SDG7 seeks to guarantee that everyone has access to affordable and clean energy.
In fact, shifting to solar energy will lower greenhouse gas emissions and thus mitigate climate change. Solar energy is a reliable and sustainable solution to meet the world's increasing energy demands.
In addition, integrating solar systems in each household allows for energy independence. Households will generate their own electricity, reducing dependency on traditional power sources. This not only provides greater control over energy production but also promotes environmental sustainability, making a positive impact on the community and the planet as a whole.
"I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." -Thomas A. Edison
This map is showing all buildings in Sahel-Alma using green energy
Advantages of Solar Energy
The more we can capture the benefits of solar energy, the less we will rely on fossil fuels. Adding a solar energy system to your home allows you to tap into these solar energy advantages:
1. Solar energy is a renewable energy source and reduces carbon emissions
Solar energy is a renewable energy source, meaning you don’t ever use it up. Solar energy is clean. It creates no carbon emissions or other heat- trapping “greenhouse” gases. It avoids the environmental damage associated with mining or drilling for fossil fuels. Furthermore, solar energy also uses little to no water, unlike power plants that generate electricity using steam turbines.
2. Solar energy can reduce your home’s electricity bill
A solar energy system for your home can reduce your reliance on the grid and help you save on your electricity bill. Some owners of residential solar energy systems may even have excess power that they can sell to the utility. Instead of paying a utility for electricity, homeowners get paid by the utility. You may not have to buy an entire solar energy system to cut your home’s electricity bill. Simply choose solar lights, lights that are powered by the sun instead of your home’s electrical system, to help save money.
3. Homes with solar panels installed may improve home value
Home buyers will likely pay more for a house with solar panels installed. Considering solar energy pros and cons, the savings on electricity bills and the money earned selling power back to the utility, all count in the plus column. Residential solar energy systems are highly valued and can increase a home's resale value. The property value of a home with solar panels can be worth up to $15,000 more than its neighbors.
Solar systems are fairly easy to install and require very little maintenance. Both are handled by your solar provider, if you opt for a solar lease or power purchase agreement (PPA). Consider this as you ask yourself is solar energy worth it.
4. Solar panels have low maintenance costs
Solar panels are easy to maintain, as they have no moving parts that wear out over time. Just keep them clean and in good physical condition to keep them working properly. Between their low maintenance costs and average lifespan of 25 years, it can be easy to get your money’s worth when investing in solar panels.
5. Solar energy can generate electricity in any climate
Solar energy systems can generate electricity in any climate. One of the disadvantages of solar energy is that it’s subject to temporary weather disruption. Cloudy days reduce the amount of electricity you produce. Cold, however, doesn’t affect productivity. Snowfall can actually help your solar system, as the snow cleans the panels as it melts and sun reflected off the snow increases the amount of light hitting your panels. The result is more electricity production.
How Sahel-Alma's citizens are benefiting from solar energy
Conclusion
It has been a long journey, full of hard work in order to come out with this community service project about solar panels, but it has been a wonderful experience.
We hope that, through encouraging the use of renewable energy, we were able to have a beneficial influence on our community. Through this initiative, we are looking forward to raise awareness about the advantages of solar power and inspire more people to consider switching to green energy.
Our project is not only beneficial for the environment but it also grew our group's cohesion and taught us useful abilities like cooperation, communication, and technological expertise with the assistance of ESRI Lebanon team.
We hope that our effort will motivate people to act and change the world for the better.
“To truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy." -Barack Obama
