What if we discovered solar power before fossil fuels?

Would the world have been different?

It feels pretty strange to me.

We found fossilized remains of dead plants in Earth's crust.

And started using them as fossil fuels.

Why didn’t we take the easier route?- Harness the energy of the sun.

We got daily reminders from the sun too. We still get it. 😀

How did we miss that?

I also wonder what if we had gone the other route.

What if we had discovered solar power before fossil fuels?

Or if it was discovered before(I don’t know), what if we had put more resources in improving that?

Here’s how I think the world could have been different-

1. It would have been cleaner and happier.

2. We wouldn’t have been fighting over oil.

3. Global South might have been more powerful.

What do you think?

Was there a reason fossil fuels came before solar?

I would keep digging into that and would let you know if I find more facts around that.

But for now, here are 3 startups across the globe that are making it easy to adopt solar energy⬇️

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Aesthetics matter…The Department of Energy in the US has estimated that there are 13 million homes across the country that aren’t adopting solar energy because the panels look ugly on their roofs. Can’t blame them- the panels are not really attractive. Your house is probably your biggest investment in the life and you wouldn’t want to add this unsightly addition to it.

Camouflage for your roof…US-based Sistine Solar is solving this through SolarSkin, a graphics layer that allows solar panels to have a customized look to match your roof. So if you have a red Spanish tile pattern on your roof, the SolarSkin would make the panels look the same. Think of it as a graphic film that can cover your solar panels without impacting their efficiency. This is how it works-

• Customers send photographs of their roof design, along with the make and model of their solar panels.

• Sistine Solar fabricates the skin, in a modular fashion that mirrors the individual panel sizes of the solar array.

• They have installers nationwide who can install the product in a few hours.

The one on the right is with SolarSkin

Tried and tested…SolarSkin can withstand a wide temperature range- anything from abundant sunlight to intense snow and these skins come with a 10-year warranty. Customers can even get their customized logo or artwork printed on these skins if they want.

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9000 km away… in West Africa, the problem is not of aesthetics but something very basic- access to electricity. In some of the darkest areas of Africa, sunset still means a world without light. In Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa, only ~15% of the population is connected to the national electricity grid. That number drops to 2.5% in rural areas. Most people still rely on diesel and kerosene for their energy needs- which is both dangerous and harmful.

On to something…Easy Solar’s vision is to make energy affordable and accessible for those with limited access to power. They operate in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Since 2016, they have brought transformative energy services to more than 450,000 people in these 2 countries. Their products range from small solar lanterns to home-power systems that supply a handful of houses.

• They have adopted a pay-as-you-go model to make their services affordable for everyone.

• From small solar lanterns for lighting and mobile charging to pico solar home systems with appliances like TVs and fans- they do it all.

• They also take up projects to set up big kW-sized systems designed for residential, commercial, and industrial users.

Their Home Bomba series includes a 40W solar panel, 2 tube lights, 2 hanging lamps,1 motion sensor lamp, 1 Radio, 1 torch and 1 ultra-efficient 24'' TV

Shop online…All the products sold by the company- solar lanterns, home systems, appliances and cookstoves, can be purchased online through a secure payment portal, with delivery and easy pick up from any of its 21 shops nationwide. The company is also planning to expand into Guinea to bring reliable, cost-effective energy to more people in Africa.

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Agrarian society…Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for ~60% of India’s population. There are around 20 million irrigation pumps installed in the country. 50% of them are powered by grid electricity (majorly generated from coal) and the rest through diesel. They consume around 20% of the country’s power- and are a major source of pollution. They are also expensive to operate and force the farmers into the debt cycle.

Clean water…Claro Energy has developed an alternative to this- solar-powered water pumping solutions. They are used to meet the irrigation and drinking water needs in off-grid rural areas. A more affordable solution for the farmers and a clean solution for the planet.

• The company has solar pumps ranging from 1 HP to 10 HP, operating on AC and DC.

• These pumps can be installed on the surface as well as are submersible.

• Their solar pumping solutions are used across applications such as irrigation, drinking water, aeration, and fisheries.

Claro Energy’s solar panels at work on a farm

Happy farmers…Claro energy reduces the cost of irrigation by 50% and is more efficient than diesel pumps. This allows farmers to harvest an extra crop. Farmers are moving from staple crops to high-yielding ones such as mushrooms, bananas. Lower costs and higher yields have helped farmers double their income.

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💡Trivia time

In 2009, this African nation set out an ambitious energy plan. They aimed for 42% of total installed power capacity to be renewable energy by 2020.

They also built the Noor-Ouarzazate complex, the world's largest concentrated solar power plant.

Ultimately, it missed its 2020 target, with renewables at 37% of capacity in 2020.

But it has since pledged to increase the renewables in its electricity mix to 52% by 2030, made up of 20% solar, 20% wind and 12% hydro.

It is also positioning itself as a clean energy hub with the potential to export renewable power to Europe.

It already has two electricity cables connecting it to Spain and plans for a subsea connection to the UK

Can you identify the nation?

Feel free to send in your responses via email or you can leave them in the comments.

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Thanks and see you next week year😄