This is how a Super power collapses under its own weight. The West has to save itself from its people's prejudices to survive. They are nowhere near that. Each election year, they get a Right Wing Party that is more than willing to trample on whatever values that have previously made them unique and they vote.
I was in shock when I read that France had outlawed veils! A country that allows sexual relations between daughter and father in the name of liberty would do that! It is better to decriminalize incest but wrong to allow the sexual object to hide its face?
I invested in Solar power. My aunt had her power disconnected and many trips to their offices even bosses in Mombasa got me nowhere. So I bought solar.
It wasn't good. I invested 50K then I found I had to invest another 50K etc. In the end I went to Alibaba.com and looked for a solution. I got hundreds. The sellers were calling me day and night (politely of course) with offers. I finally went for a hybrid system which as a generator, Solar (with batteries, Inverter etc), Wind mill ( a small one to kick in when the sun is no show). There is a provision for KPL incase they turn up. They won't be lighting anything. They would charge the batteries if all the above fail. In fact they come after the generator. If the generator fails to auto start and re-charge the batteries, then and only then can KPL kick in. Needles to say I don't see that chance.
Then I went to Pakistan and found they were using gas much more than many European countries. It is their own gas. They don't export. They use to heat houses, cook and to drive their vehicles and trucks. Many small time industries like brick making machines rely on it. They can modify any engine to use natural gas.
The city of Karachi might fall in darkness every friday but there is electricity in the houses. There is heat.
Then I came close to Kenya in Uganda. I found KPL has no room. The monopoly ended in style. Now young boys are buying solar panels, generating enough electricity and selling it to their neighbors cheaper than the electricity company! One boy was featured recently in the Western media. He is busy expanding his business.
At the root of it all is a simple formula. China has reduced the cost of each to 1 watt = 0.5 USD . With these very low prices do we need aid to be self sufficient? An average house in the US uses a whopping 3,000 kilowatt-hour (kWh) in electricity each year. With micro-inverters in place, 12 average solar panels would deliver. The house owner will record the first savings in the first year. That is because it would cost about USD 8000 to buy 3000kwh. Here is what I found:
- Careful selection of cost-effective components that are customer installable bring the cost of solar down to the point that it is cheaper than buying electricity.
- Federal government provides a 30% tax credit on all residential solar installations until 12/31/2016.
- Some state & local governments as well as some utilities are also offering financial incentives to homeowners.
- Investing in solar on your roof provides 6%-13% return on investment, better than most other investments today.
https://www.anapode.com/products/3000w_3kw_complete_solar_panel_module_kit_diyAnd it is already dead as dodo. The US congress seem to have shut down Export-Import Bank as they become more insular to world suffering.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/23/obamas-electricity-plan-jeopardy-he-heads-africa/
Topic: 2yrs later Obama signature Power Africa project yet to add a MW of power (Read 3303 times)