When Patrick Ardahalian moved from Saudi Arabia to Lebanon in 2010, he was shocked at the frequent power outages in the country’s capital, Beirut.
“Power outages are something I had never experienced,” he said. But for the Lebanese people, the situation was different, he added. “They never experienced stable electricity in their life.”
To address the country’s energy crisis, Ardahalian, who is of Lebanese origin but grew up in Greece, decided to pick up solar power.
“Lebanon is a very sunny country, and we needed electricity. I asked my dad to help me financially, and he agreed,” he said. “I started from scratch. I had a marketing background, so I went to a technical school to learn about electricity. Within a few months, I launched my company: Eco Friendly.”
Ardahalian, now 48, recalled that people were initially skeptical of solar power, and did not believe it could resolve their energy problems.
“Some people didn’t believe that I could provide them electricity from the sun … They said I was lying, and I couldn’t continue the discussion,” he said.
Lebanon’s power crunch
Lebanon is currently battling one of its worst economic crises in decades. The country defaulted on its national debt in 2020, and its currency has collapsed in value.
An acute energy crunch is compounding problems, with households nationwide grappling with long power cuts — some regions face blackouts for up to 23 hours a day.
The state-run utility Electricite du Liban (EDL), which accounts for about 90% of the country’s electricity production, has been plagued by dire cash shortages, and has only been able to provide power to households for a few hours a day.
Faced with power outages, many Lebanese have resorted to using expensive private diesel generators for electricity.
Due to the nation’s economic turmoil and surging fuel prices due to its weak currency, along with removal of government subsidies and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the finances of many Lebanese households are hurting, forcing them to seek alternatives.
Solar panels are meant to stabilize Lebanon’s shaky electricty supply
Suffering in darkness
Mohamad Mahmoud Hariri, a 43-year-old living in the nation’s third-largest city of Sidon, told DW that although he had suffered power outages for years, now things are far worse than in the past.
“Without electricity, everything stops. I am convinced that things are going from bad to worse, and that the state cannot solve this problem,” he said.
Hariri said that electricity prices soared following the onset of the economic crisis, pointing out that monthly rates now equal or exceed the average monthly salary of many Lebanese.
That’s why he chose to invest in renewable energy by installing a solar panel system three months ago. Hariri paid $3,000 (€2,900) for the system, which allows him to consume around 10 amps of electricity in the morning and 3 amps at night. But in winter …….
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/lebanon-turns-to-solar-power-to-address-acute-energy-crisis/a-62818781