Top 5 Countries for Solar Street Lighting Installations

As we all know, solar street lights are suitable for installation in places with very good sunlight.

There are three most suitable districts to install solar streetlights

1. Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is always a hot spot for the application of solar energy due to its tropical location and sufficient sunshine all year round.

2. African

On average, African countries can receive strong sunshine in 325 days per year with a covering rate of 60,000,000/hour per day per square meter. Theoretical reserves of solar energies account for nearly 40% of the total global reserves. However, this region produces only 1% of the world’s photovoltaic power, the electricity popularity rate for most countries is less than 50%, and there is no lighting on most non-trunk roads at night. Solar street light products can make good use of the advantage of sufficient local sunshine and transform it into electricity for roadway lighting.

3. Middle Eastern

The climate in the Middle Eastern region is dry and hot and lacks rainfall throughout the year, thus it satisfies installation conditions of solar street lights.

There are Top 5 Countries for Solar Street Lighting Installations

1. Philippines Solar Street Light Overview

• Philippine government policy support Integrated solar street light in the Philippines

The Philippines is a rapidly growing nation in Southeast Asia, and this rise in population growth means that the demand for power is also rapidly rising. With traditional fossil fuels negatively affecting our environment, the Philippine government has to look for sustainable ways to generate energy. And fortunately, one renewable energy source that they have taken notice of is solar energy.

When it comes to solar development, the Philippines is still relatively young. Still, with its wealth in sunlight, it is only a matter of time before the country has caught up with recent developments in solar technology.

Moreover, the Philippines has the highest electricity costs in Asia, tied with Japan, so it only makes sense that the country utilizes solar power because it is a much cheaper and more economically advantageous choice. With solar power, electric bill costs will fall in the country, and at the same time, people who are currently off the grid will have access to an electricity source.

• Rich solar resources are good for integrated solar street light in the Philippines

The country’s geographic location is a good enough reason for the Philippines to implement solar power. A tropical country, the Philippines receives a lot of sunlight. To be more specific, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory conducted a study that revealed that the Philippines has an average solar energy potential of 4.5kWh/m2 per day.

   2. Malaysia Solar Street Light Overview

When the global call from scientists urged nations all over the world to shift from burning fossil fuels to using renewable energy for energy production, Malaysia was one of the nations that decided to take action. After all, Malaysia receives a lot of sunlight due to its equatorial location, so the country has a strong potential to use solar energy.

However, despite the country’s promising potential to establish several large-scale solar projects, solar development in Malaysia is still in its infancy stage. This is primarily because of the high cost of PV cells, solar electricity tariff rate, and lack of funding.

But on the bright side, Malaysia’s renewable energy development is growing. Currently, 8% of the country’s energy is from renewable sources, and the government has pledged to increase that percentage to 20% by 2025.

• Why Solar Energy Is a Good Choice for Malaysia

Malaysia is a tropical country located in the equatorial region, so this country enjoys an abundance of sunlight. In particular, the country’s average solar radiation ranges between 4.7–6.5kWh/m2. For this reason, Malaysia is a strong contender for using solar energy as its primary source of power.

Furthermore, just like other developing countries, Malaysia faces the problem of a rapid rise in energy consumption due to an increasing population. And since fossil fuels are not renewable, nor are they healthy for both the environment and people, the government has to seek an alternative quickly. Solar energy is the best option for them.

 3. Nigeria Solar Street Light Overview

Nigeria is among the most dominant countries in Africa, and it is also a country blessed with a high amount of sunlight. Because of this, Nigeria has a great potential to utilize solar power to its advantage, thus possibly leading to billions of dollars saved and millions of households electrified.

Fortunately, the Nigerian government has recognized the country’s potential for solar power, and though the country severely lacks renewable energy production, the government has decided to focus on creating its own solar power infrastructures.

• Why Solar Energy Is a Good Choice for Nigeria

As stated earlier, Nigeria is a country that receives a lot of sunlight, so it is only logical that the government would use this renewable source to its fullest potential. But in addition to that, Nigeria suffers from unreliable electricity, and solar energy can help solve that problem.

To elaborate further, a report in 2015 declared that around 55% of Nigeria’s 190 million citizens have no access to grid-connected electricity. But even those that do have access to centralized power still suffer from power cuts and outages.

This unreliable power supply costs Nigeria so much money, around $29 billion per year, thus causing the country’s economic growth to falter. The unreliable electricity also forces Nigerians to rely on generators that run on fossil fuels, which are detrimental to one’s health.

However, if the Nigerian government uses the abundant solar energy that the country has and creates a solar-powered energy production system, things would improve drastically. Millions of households would receive electricity from a reliable and renewable source, and billions of dollars could be saved.

• Notable Solar Projects in Nigeria

Nigeria has undergone several solar projects throughout the years, with varying degrees of success and popularity.

The first notable project is the proposed “Energy for All” plan. This plan aims to provide solar panels to five million households that are not connected to the grid, which means that the target is the rural population since urban areas have access to electricity. As a result, this plan has the potential to decrease rural poverty in the country, and hopefully, it will exponentially cut down the use of biofuels and other non-renewable energy.

Another popular solar project in the country is the Solar PV Project. Financed by B&S Power (a Singapore-based renewable energy corporation) and Sunnyfield Global (a Nigerian investment entity), the Solar PV Project is a 200MW solar project located on about 304 hectares of land in Ashama Village.

Aside from these big projects, there are other small solar projects. A few examples include solar water heaters, solar cookers, and solar chicken brooders.

 4. South Africa Solar Street Light Overview

The entire continent of Africa is home to a wide variety of natural resources, and South Africa, in particular, is excessively rich in solar power. As a result, there is so much potential for South Africa to use solar energy to its fullest potential, and luckily, the government has acted relatively quickly on this possibility.

The South African government implemented an energy policy named The South African Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) that aims to seek alternative energy sources in an effort to combat climate change and save money. They have also already made a plan to develop energy generation infrastructures for 2010 to 2030, aiming to reach 9600MW of solar power capacity by the end of 2030.

• Why Solar Energy Is a Good Choice for South Africa

Throughout the years, the costs of solar energy have started to steadily decline, and currently, they are now affordable. As a result, switching to solar power is a highly recommended option, and this is especially true for South Africa since this nation receives a lot of sunlight and solar radiation. To be more specific, the average number of hours of sunlight in South Africa is 2,500 hours a year, and its average solar radiation levels are between 4.5 and 6.5kWh/m2 per day.

Because of all this, once South Africa moves from fossil fuels to solar energy for energy generation, the country can help impede climate change and save a ton of money in the process as well.

 5. United Arab Emirates Solar Street Light Overview

The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) is one of the major oil producers in the world, just like its neighboring country Saudi Arabia. U.A.E. had also ranked one of the top carbon dioxide emitters per capita in the world. However, even though this is the case, the U.A.E. government has taken steps to shift to renewable energy, especially solar power.

Solar power still accounts for a small percentage of the entire energy production in the country. But the government is aiming to generate about 50% of its electrical energy from renewable sources by 2050.

Currently, they are doing well with this goal, and there is even a possibility that the country’s solar capacity will increase fourfold by 2025, raising the current 2.1GW capacity to 8.5GW.

• Why Solar Energy Is a Good Choice for U.A.E.

The U.A.E. holds the title of one of the highest solar exposure rates in the world, so the country is undeniably suitable for producing solar energy.

Aside from this, using renewable energy sources can help save money for the country as well. To be specific, if the U.A.E. would avoid the consumption of fossil fuels and ramp up the usage of renewable energy, the country could save about $1.9 billion every year by 2030.

Last but not least, the prices of solar technology have rapidly declined, while the prices of natural gas have risen. This makes solar energy a competitive option for power generation in the country.

• Solar Projects in U.A.E.

U.A.E. is now constructing a solar power project that will be the world’s biggest one so far. Called the Al Dhafra Solar PV facility, this project has a solar capacity of 2GW, and it will supply power to Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC).

In addition to this project, U.A.E. also has the world’s concentrated solar power plant. Located in western Abu Dhabi, this CSP power plant was launched in March 2013, and it can power about 20,000 homes.

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is another notable solar project. This solar park can generate 1,000MW by 2020 and 5,000MW by 2030.

U.A.E. has more plans to fund and develop several PV and CSP projects.

Conclusion

So far, Clodesun Solar Stree Lighting has undertaken the Kenya project and Yemen project of the United Nations Office for Project Services, the Syria project of the United Nations Development Program, the international Cameroon Project, as well as national projects of Benin, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, etc.;

We have accumulated experience in hundreds of domestic and overseas large-scale roadway lighting projects, creating feasible technology space for product innovation and upgrading.

As the prospects for integrated solar street lights in the Philippines become better. Since 2017, the government has begun large-scale support for solar energy development. The Philippines has become the second-largest integrated solar street light market. Clodesun plans to build a warehouse and supply new designs in the Philippines.