Why southern Africa's interior is an ideal place to generate solar energy

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[ANALYSIS] Why southern Africa's interior is an ideal place to generate solar energy

So is southern Africa, and in particular its dry interior, really among the world’s best sites for solar energy generation, as isSunlight is ultimately a stream of photons. Think of photons as little arrows, each carrying a small quantum of energy. Upon striking a solar panel or some other solar device, the photon will be annihilated, and a fraction of its energy will be converted to heat or electricity.

A panel lying flat on the ground therefore maximises its photon catch when the sun is directly overhead. At noon the sun is closest to overhead in the tropics, so these latitudes also generally have the warmest climate.There is a common misconception that the hottest areas are also most suited for solar power generation. But tropical regions often have a lot of cloud as well.

In southern Africa, solar panels usually perform best if they are tilted 20-30 degrees towards the north, meaning that they directly face the noon sun during the March and September equinoxes. Those angles also closely match the inclination angles of a typical domestic roof – so solar panels lying flat on a north-facing roof are often already at their optimal tilt.

This is another reason why latitudes closer to the poles become ever less suitable sites for solar energy generation. The sun there never gets close to a point vertically above. In southern Africa, however, with latitudes between about 15 and 35 degrees south, the sun is on average closer to the zenith. That makes higher solar energy yields possible.1000-2000 metres above sea level

 

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Solar energy can be a major contributor to easing the SA energy crisis. Unfortunately, vested interests in government coupled with a complete lack of big picture thinking by an ignorant Cabinet over the past 27 years has led us to where we are.

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