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08/09/2020 News

The 5 Most Common Misconceptions About Solar Energy in the UAE

If you’re a person that is still new to the concept of using solar as a renewable energy resource in the Middle East, you may still be hesitant to what facts are true and which ones are false.

As an increasingly popular renewable energy alternative, solar energy comes with its misconceptions that could prevent you from making the step towards becoming more energy efficient. While switching to solar has countless benefits, TotalEnergies Solar Distributed Generation is the partner of choice to accompany you.

We’ve rounded up five of the most common misconceptions about solar power and debunked them to give you some clarification on the matter:

 

1. Solar power solutions in the UAE are too expensive

At first glance, you might think that installing a solar system may look more expensive than paying for conventional electricity based on the costs of construction and maintenance of the project.

However, when you sign with TotalEnergies Solar Distributed Generation in the Middle East, you will be saving money. Our contract includes zero upfront investments and all-inclusive of operation and maintenance towards the project. The customer will benefit from the electricity produced at a discounted price compared to the grid price and only pay a monthly solar bill as promised in the contract.

Our solar company follows the DEWA Shams program legal framework that ensures businesses will benefit the most from going solar and that encourages them as part of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050. The strategy aims to reduce the country's carbon footprint emissions by 70% while promoting sustainable energy in UAE.

 

2. Solar panels harm your rooftops

Many people believe that solar system can damage your rooftop once solar panels are installed and in return won’t commit to placing the installation on to their business space.

However, our project managers from the TotalEnergies Solar Distributed Generation ME team specially design the solar PV layout and work closely with the manufacturers to make sure the design will not cause any damages to your rooftop space while also functioning properly to produce solar power.

Solar systems are in fact also considered to be beneficial to your roof as the advanced technology of the installation will protect your rooftop against direct heat damage from the sun.

 

3. Solar panels can only generate energy when it’s sunny outside

During cloudy and rainy weather conditions, most people assume that solar panels will not be able to generate electricity because it does not appear that there is direct sunlight hitting the solar system.

The simple answer is that solar panels will still be able to produce electricity during these weather conditions, but their efficiency can drop due to overcast skies compared of the energy output of a bright sunny day.

 

4. Solar panels need constant maintenance

Maintenance for completed solar systems is not as complicated as it may appear and there is no need for your business to worry about taking care of the solar panels from your end.

During the contract period signed with TotalEnergies Solar Distributed Generation ME, our team will take care of cleaning and maintaining the quality of the solar system with regular scheduled cleaning and maintenance checkups.

Our team will also be responsible for solving any potential damages if they occur in the future (subject to changes according to lease agreement specifications).

 

5. The manufacturing of solar panels is not environmentally friendly

Even if the manufacturing process of creating a solar system emits some CO2, your business will still end up reducing its carbon emissions more in the long run.

The first thing to know is that carbon emissions during manufacture are indirect and depend on the kind of energy used. In a virtuous cycle, the cleaner the energy, the cleaner the photovoltaic module.

The solar system installed by TotalEnergies Solar Distributed Generation ME has a panel warranty for 25 years and a life expectancy of 25-30 years. During that time period, your company will have reduced its carbon footprint emissions in the long run, through a sustainable energy source, in a significantly larger amount than what it took to manufacture them.

Additionally, most PV modules can be recycled once the solar system is no longer in use.

 

Now that we’ve clarified all these common misconceptions, you can check out one of our previous articles “5 Reasons Why You Should Choose Solar Energy For Your Business in 2020” to give you the final push towards installing solar energy in the UAE.

You can also always contact the TotalEnergies Solar Distributed Generation in the Middle East team via our website who is always ready to help you out with any further questions you may have about solar energy in the future.