So the opposite day the electrical energy invoice got here to the tune of 4,250,000 Liras (4 million 250 hundreds liras) – that was for the months of September/October 2022. I refused to pay it. The explanation? Ever since I put in my photo voltaic panels (right here), I’ve switched off each the generator and the state electrical energy. So this quantity is unreal and I feel they approximated it from earlier payments.
If I’m recounting this occasion it’s as a result of apparently Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper claims that round 40% of Lebanese households have switched to photo voltaic panels (or “clear vitality”). I’ve been talking in regards to the surroundings since earlier than it grew to become a fad, doing conferences and spreading the phrase. This is what the newspaper bought unsuitable. It says that folks have switched to photo voltaic panels “out of want” not for “environmental causes”.
Once more to be clear, spreading the inexperienced message isn’t simple or good. However as soon as all the pieces begins to hit your pocket, instantly logic appears clear. So principally, that is a type of instances the place the top does justify the means. Positive, individuals in Lebanon are used to a really low pricing of the kilowatt (on the time previous to the 2019 disaster it was the most cost effective within the area). And perhaps individuals are not conscious that photo voltaic panels want yearly cleansing (a small sum) or that in winter storms one actually must handle nicely to make the vitality final all day (even with 8 panels and 4 batteries I had 2 energy cuts this winter – so I needed to unplug our fridges for the day throughout winter storms for the batteries to final).
However these are very small inconveniences when 1) you aren’t paying electrical energy payments which grew to become obnoxiously costly 2) when you’ve electrical energy around the clock – sure, when nicely managed, even in winter 3) when you find yourself avoiding the generator invoice which additionally grew to become illogical 4) when you do not have to attend for the state electrical energy which is extremely erratic and untrustworthy.
I feel what the newspaper failed to know, is that generally – regardess of the explanations – the top does justify the means.
