Savings on the electricity bill was key for those who installed solar panels as electricity generators. In the household, for example, of the 800 dollars they paid with the normal system, they now cancel 43 dollars; In another, in Quito, $480 is saved per year after installing a hot water tank.

For them, although it is necessary to follow the process, meet the requirements and the allocated budget, the cost-benefit is significant and prevails.

It took a month and a half to install 80 solar panels on a house in Samborondón. The investment was about 20,000 USD in this new system. His owner says his electric bill is now about $43 compared to the $800 he was paying with the old system.

The interest in solar energy is doubling, the investment can go from 1,000 to 40,000 dollars for housing, and in companies it exceeds a million dollars.

The return on the investment, says Mario (name protected), would take between five and seven years. “The use of solar panels was basically because I moved from Guayaquil to Samborondón, and in the latter, electricity is much more expensive than it costs in Guayaquil. Seeing the profitability, we decided to install a solar power plant”. The service life is 25 years.

To put into context how his installation process went, he explains that at one stage of construction he has a temporary meter and when it is finished, after inspection by CNEL, they deliver the final meter, which is two-way when the solar plant is already installed.

Once the process is complete, the system you have installed does not directly supply power to your devices, as this requires a battery saver system which is extremely expensive, so in your case your system produces electricity and if it generates more than it consumes, “which goes directly to the CNEL lines”.

For example: if you produce 1000 kilowatts and consume 900, the remaining 100 goes to the general CNEL system.

He considers it suitable especially for new buildings, and comments that incentives, special loans should be given, because “people are a little scared” because of the high price. And he notes another key point: the latent drought, which puts the production of hydroelectric power in trouble, while Guayaquil is a city that has enough light, even the geographical position of Ecuador means that it has bright light 365 days a year.

Solar energy is also being chosen in Quito. One of the users installed a hot water tank in his home instead of an electric boiler. The investment was 1490 dollars. She says her bill dropped by $40 a month, saving her $480 a year.

Now you don’t have to worry when there is a power outage, because the water will stay warm. “I know that the warm water in my pool will never disappear. With significant financial savings that were beneficial to me”.

A hundred tons of CO2 per year would reduce the largest photovoltaic project for bananas in Ecuador

Water heaters are devices that allow us to use sunlight converted into energy to heat different types of liquids, mainly water, and they can be used for different household tasks: in showers, washing machines, dishwashers or any other device you need. of water, as well as for swimming pools, indicates the head of the República del Sol project, Juan Carlos Reyes.

According to service providers, among the advantages of solar water heaters are that they are 100% environmentally friendly and easy to maintain. Photo: Courtesy

In Quito and Cuenca, the demand for hot water tanks is growing because of the need for hot water and the environmental awareness they have there, says Reyes. Guayaquil also saw a significant increase.

The cost of the hot water tank starts at $750, and for their installation, the house must have hot water pipes and the roof must be weight-resistant (of 150 kilograms).

Solar lights are also gaining ground in the market, according to Sun Conservation CEO Luis Calderón, who points out that this system mainly consists of three key components: solar panels, batteries and LED lights.

According to Calderón, solar lighting systems can be implemented in any space that requires lighting and can access sunlight, including public roads (streets, highways, highways); parks and recreational areas, stadiums and sports complexes; industries and commercial areas; residential yards and gardens, parking lots and garages; educational institutions and campus; and rural and remote areas.

Reyes and Calderón agree that the savings with this system are “significant” in terms of resources and electricity.

According to Reyes, in projects that start, one could save on wiring, burial, manpower, transformers, etc., so compared to all this assembly, the installation of solar lighting would grow only 10%, with the advantage of enjoying it for 20 years without paying consumption.

Solar energy is no longer a “stake” of Ecuadorian companies, but an investment for the planet, although there are bureaucratic obstacles that can hinder its implementation

Calderón divides the savings into three points:

The approximate investment to install a solar lighting system is between $300 and $800, according to Calderón, who adds that costs can vary depending on the size of the project, geographic location, quality of components and selected suppliers.

Reyes states that the price starts at $250, depending on the space they want to light.