PV Gap

Phyllis Said:

They are going green in Iraq now...?

We Answered:

You are making an assumption that installing these lights is more expensive than installing ones that run off of the power grid.

In places where the climate supports this form of lighting it is frequently more cost-effective to use solar powered lights because you do not have to pay the expense of running power to them and the savings in electric costs over the lifetime of the fixture.

Another issue is that because of the booming Iraqi economy, the demand for electricity in Iraq has been rising faster than new power plants can be constructed (this trend is projected to continue for at least five more years). Thus it makes sense to use streetlights that do not add more load to the electrical infrastructure.