By Claritta Khoury | Staff Writer
With the rate at which solar panels have sprung up at the top of buildings this past year, one could mistake them for weeds in a garden. As Lebanon’s electricity crisis deepens, more and more people turn to generating power from the sun. People started installing solar panels on their roofs in hopes of proving the very least of their electric needs: being able to turn on one lamp and a TV at night. But are solar panels the proper way to achieve this outcome? The solar revolution that has taken the country by storm may not be as ideal as it is made out to be. While most people think “buying the sun” is the ultimate solution, its popularity came with unregulated and unprofessional installation of solar panels, which poses more of a hazard than a fix to Lebanon’s worsening electricity crisis.
As of now, there are two types of people in Lebanon: those who can afford to “buy the sun” and those who cannot. Those who cannot afford to install solar panels, which could cost anywhere from 2,000 USD to 30,000 USD (depending on quality and quantity), live the same drama series every day. They wake up, wait in bed for the electricity to come, get dressed, leave the house, come back home, sit by the windows to properly see until it gets dark, eat, shower when the electricity comes back, and go to bed when the electricity is gone which happens to be at the time the owner of the electricity-supplying generator decides to turn the generator off.
Although investing in solar panels seems like an attractive solution to this frustrating way of living, the lack of regulations in Lebanon causes a risk. As the need for solar panels increases and as the demand increases, many flock to ride the tide of the solar profit. In other words, people who have no clue about the most basic ideas related to harvesting solar energy now claim to be experts in the field. They import solar panels, install them, and make a ridiculous profit out of the average Lebanese consumer’s eagerness and naivety. Perhaps the most concerning issue is posed by the panels themselves. Some panels are defective since they contain tiny cracks that make them less efficient. These panels are put aside and then sold for cheaper in third-world countries. As a result of these cracks, the panels are more prone to overheating, and thus, cause fires. Moreover, there is a surplus of bootlegged panels in circulation. Instead of importing panels which meet certain specifications and standards, sellers will sell Lebanese consumers defective panels marketing them as “safe”.
Another problem buyers deal with is the panes’ faulty installation. In the absence of any regulations, technicians place the solar panels at the wrong angles and raise them high up in the sky with inadequate support. People also have solar panels installed everywhere: on roofs, above water tanks, on sidewalks, on balconies, etc. Once winter comes along and the wind becomes strong, there’s no guarantee that the panels will stay put and the question of them being blown away is not a question of “if they will be blown away” but “where they will land once they’re blown away.”
This does not mean that installing solar panels is a completely bad idea. It just means that in the absence of governmental regulations and public solar farms, customers should be careful about who they trust to help power their homes, and more importantly, how they choose to power their homes.