Look out for genuine solar
Feb 27, 2009
With the rising electricity tariffs and irregular supply, one ought to embrace other options like solar energy. Today, many companies offer different solutions. But do people know how much they consume by using other sources of power?
By Jude Katende
With the rising electricity tariffs and irregular supply, one ought to embrace other options like solar energy. Today, many companies offer different solutions. But do people know how much they consume by using other sources of power?
Bhavin Ruparelia, the manager, AB Matra, notes that people spend more on electricity and generators each year than they would if they used solar. Ruparelia says, 50% of the cost one spends on fuel for a generator, could be saved by using solar.
“Besides, solar is clean and environmentally friendly, with no smoke or fumes choking the user,†Ruparelia notes. He adds that the only item one can replace is the battery and this can be done after two years. AB Matra imports, sells on retail and wholesale and installs products tailored to customers’ needs.
Some of the products are available while others can be ordered from the suppliers, Kotak Urja, an ISO certified Indian firm, for whom AB Matra are sole agents. These products are ideal for homes, guesthouses, hospitals, schools, security rooms, restaurants, warehouses and banks. They include solar modules, mono and polycrystalline, charge controllers, inverters, solar swimming pool heating systems and effluent operation equipment.
AB Matra has 17 dealers countrywide with branches in Jinja and Mbale. They plan to extend to western and northern Uganda.
Ruparelia, however, decries challenges such as fake panels, wrong sizing and substandard products on the market. He suggests that the Uganda National Bureau of Standards checks the products at entry points.
“Many customers are given wrong sizing and blame the product for non-performance which in turn affects the entire solar industry. We advise customers on how sizing is done, whether they have bought from us or not,†Ruparelia says.
With business partners in Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda and Southern Sudan, Energy Systems Limited (ESL) has experience in the solar industry. They have offices in Mbale, Lira, Soroti, Arua, Fort Portal and Rukungiri.
Emmy Kimbowa, the chairman says they supply, install and maintain solar systems, water heaters and water pumps.
“We do system designs and have accessories for solar products which vary in brand name and size. We install equipment in schools, hotels and industries,†Kimbowa explains.
He adds that ESL deals in products certified by UNBS and those from reputable suppliers. Kimbowa explains that once a customer has a problem, reaction time cannot exceed 48 hours regardless of distance.
Solar Energy Uganda (SEU) is one of the pioneers of this alternative power source and has made over 37,000 installations within and outside Uganda.
Richard Kanyike, the manager, says they have been to Ethiopia, DR Congo, Rwanda and have reached some of the most power-starved areas in Lira, Mbarara, Kabale and Rakai. He mentions that Rakai’s St. Cecilia Buyamba Primary School with about 10kva worth of solar installations which run the school’s laboratory needs, TVs, lights and other items, is the biggest solar powered school in Uganda.
“We act as an energy service company. We sell and loan power, maintain, design and avail new technology as it comes,†Kanyike explains. By loaning power, he says, poor people who leave in mud and wattle, can purchase solar panels in installments after suitable designs are set for them.
He says, they are pushing for an association which will regulate the industry and wipe out speculation.
Davis and Shirtliff, deals in domestic solar lighting, lanterns, water heaters, street lighting, inverter systems and water pumping for boreholes and shallow wells.
The company imports products from USA, Europe and Asia, says Abdulla Sekitoleko, the sales engineer.
With just sh0.8m, one can get a lighting system. The company’s aftersales service has a technical team whose electrical background is tailored towards solar products.
The team does trouble-shooting and back-ups among other services. Sekitoleko says they advise customers to start small and upgrade later so as not to feel the pinch of the initial cost. What sets this company apart, is the way it operates.
“We give our clients, two in one-systems, by wiring lights separately from sockets. The advantage is that you will never be in a black-out,†Sekitoleko explains.
N.S.Rao, the managing director, Seven Hills Impex Limited (SHIL), says one can settle for equipment worth sh3m for a few lights and TV. But because solar is guaranteed up to 10 years or more, the cost won’t be felt, he adds.
He says SHIL has packages for customers who can only afford say two bulbs unit and a few hours of TV, to those with fridges and flat irons. SHIL distribution network covers the entire country.
In Kampala, their products can be purchased from their head office on First Street, Industrial Area and their outlet at Energy Centre on Market Street.
SHIL will soon open an outlet in Ovino Market near St. Balikudembe Market (Owino). Water heaters are available in different capacities and can be installed for the customer.
Pulsee International Investment Company Limited has a wide range of solar products. Wolfe, the East Africa sales manager says the products include a mini-domestic solar power supply system, a water heater and cooker.
The mini domestic solar power supply system is portable and can charge a mobile phone and power a few lights. Wolfe says it is ideal for people in rural areas. A bigger domestic power system has a panel and batteries, inverters, controllers, metre and switch in a metal case, which can be installed by anyone.
The water heater is installed at a strategic place where it can tap and absorb heat. The heater comes with a big tank and works well even at night. It heats water almost immediately.
The cooker doesn’t handle very large saucepans but can boil water in a kettle and cook a meal, provided the saucepan fits on the raised stand.
“The cooker is installed facing the sun. When enough heat has been absorbed, it heats the water or food instantly. It takes 20-25 minutes to assemble the cooker,†Wolfe says.
It takes 90 minutes to prepare beans using this system. Wolfe says it can help families cut down on electricity costs and conserve nature by not using firewood. The products are available in leading supermarkets and in Kikuubo.
With the rising electricity tariffs and irregular supply, one ought to embrace other options like solar energy. Today, many companies offer different solutions. But do people know how much they consume by using other sources of power?
Bhavin Ruparelia, the manager, AB Matra, notes that people spend more on electricity and generators each year than they would if they used solar. Ruparelia says, 50% of the cost one spends on fuel for a generator, could be saved by using solar.
“Besides, solar is clean and environmentally friendly, with no smoke or fumes choking the user,†Ruparelia notes. He adds that the only item one can replace is the battery and this can be done after two years. AB Matra imports, sells on retail and wholesale and installs products tailored to customers’ needs.
Some of the products are available while others can be ordered from the suppliers, Kotak Urja, an ISO certified Indian firm, for whom AB Matra are sole agents. These products are ideal for homes, guesthouses, hospitals, schools, security rooms, restaurants, warehouses and banks. They include solar modules, mono and polycrystalline, charge controllers, inverters, solar swimming pool heating systems and effluent operation equipment.
AB Matra has 17 dealers countrywide with branches in Jinja and Mbale. They plan to extend to western and northern Uganda.
Ruparelia, however, decries challenges such as fake panels, wrong sizing and substandard products on the market. He suggests that the Uganda National Bureau of Standards checks the products at entry points.
“Many customers are given wrong sizing and blame the product for non-performance which in turn affects the entire solar industry. We advise customers on how sizing is done, whether they have bought from us or not,†Ruparelia says.
With business partners in Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda and Southern Sudan, Energy Systems Limited (ESL) has experience in the solar industry. They have offices in Mbale, Lira, Soroti, Arua, Fort Portal and Rukungiri.
Emmy Kimbowa, the chairman says they supply, install and maintain solar systems, water heaters and water pumps.
“We do system designs and have accessories for solar products which vary in brand name and size. We install equipment in schools, hotels and industries,†Kimbowa explains.
He adds that ESL deals in products certified by UNBS and those from reputable suppliers. Kimbowa explains that once a customer has a problem, reaction time cannot exceed 48 hours regardless of distance.
Solar Energy Uganda (SEU) is one of the pioneers of this alternative power source and has made over 37,000 installations within and outside Uganda.
Richard Kanyike, the manager, says they have been to Ethiopia, DR Congo, Rwanda and have reached some of the most power-starved areas in Lira, Mbarara, Kabale and Rakai. He mentions that Rakai’s St. Cecilia Buyamba Primary School with about 10kva worth of solar installations which run the school’s laboratory needs, TVs, lights and other items, is the biggest solar powered school in Uganda.
“We act as an energy service company. We sell and loan power, maintain, design and avail new technology as it comes,†Kanyike explains. By loaning power, he says, poor people who leave in mud and wattle, can purchase solar panels in installments after suitable designs are set for them.
He says, they are pushing for an association which will regulate the industry and wipe out speculation.
Davis and Shirtliff, deals in domestic solar lighting, lanterns, water heaters, street lighting, inverter systems and water pumping for boreholes and shallow wells.
The company imports products from USA, Europe and Asia, says Abdulla Sekitoleko, the sales engineer.
With just sh0.8m, one can get a lighting system. The company’s aftersales service has a technical team whose electrical background is tailored towards solar products.
The team does trouble-shooting and back-ups among other services. Sekitoleko says they advise customers to start small and upgrade later so as not to feel the pinch of the initial cost. What sets this company apart, is the way it operates.
“We give our clients, two in one-systems, by wiring lights separately from sockets. The advantage is that you will never be in a black-out,†Sekitoleko explains.
N.S.Rao, the managing director, Seven Hills Impex Limited (SHIL), says one can settle for equipment worth sh3m for a few lights and TV. But because solar is guaranteed up to 10 years or more, the cost won’t be felt, he adds.
He says SHIL has packages for customers who can only afford say two bulbs unit and a few hours of TV, to those with fridges and flat irons. SHIL distribution network covers the entire country.
In Kampala, their products can be purchased from their head office on First Street, Industrial Area and their outlet at Energy Centre on Market Street.
SHIL will soon open an outlet in Ovino Market near St. Balikudembe Market (Owino). Water heaters are available in different capacities and can be installed for the customer.
Pulsee International Investment Company Limited has a wide range of solar products. Wolfe, the East Africa sales manager says the products include a mini-domestic solar power supply system, a water heater and cooker.
The mini domestic solar power supply system is portable and can charge a mobile phone and power a few lights. Wolfe says it is ideal for people in rural areas. A bigger domestic power system has a panel and batteries, inverters, controllers, metre and switch in a metal case, which can be installed by anyone.
The water heater is installed at a strategic place where it can tap and absorb heat. The heater comes with a big tank and works well even at night. It heats water almost immediately.
The cooker doesn’t handle very large saucepans but can boil water in a kettle and cook a meal, provided the saucepan fits on the raised stand.
“The cooker is installed facing the sun. When enough heat has been absorbed, it heats the water or food instantly. It takes 20-25 minutes to assemble the cooker,†Wolfe says.
It takes 90 minutes to prepare beans using this system. Wolfe says it can help families cut down on electricity costs and conserve nature by not using firewood. The products are available in leading supermarkets and in Kikuubo.