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Mohamed Sacko
Debra Dagher
Writing and Inquiry Academic Context II
19 June 2015
A SolarCity in Mali
I was born in West Africa, one of the most underprivileged parts of the world. Most
people see that as a disadvantage, but as far as I am concerned, it is a blessing. My life could
only get better. I was lucky enough to have satellite TV home and whenever I watched TV, I
could have a glance of what the outside world was like. The contrast was huge and it made me
realize that there was still a lot to be done. But, how? That was the question. As a child, people
would always say that I was smart. Whenever they had a problem that requires some
engineering, they would call upon me and I would fix it most of the time for free. The expression
on their face was priceless. One particularity about Africa is that everybody considers their
neighbors children as their own. The community has always seen me with pride and I was seen
as the way out of poverty. Receiving such high expectations from people affected my view of the
world immensely. As a result, making them proud has always been my driving force. I remember
every Friday my parents used to cook food and bring it to the Friday prayer for the needed. My
and brothers and I would help distribute the food. I believe thats what built into me this sense of
responsibilities and belonging. I had to make the gift I have received count for as many people as
possible.
I remember one Sunday afternoon, it was 120 degrees outside and my room was hotter
than a sauna because there wasnt enough energy to keep the AC on. The next day, I have
ordered a solar system and used the alternative energy to power the AC and the whole

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community was amazed. That was probably the best day of my life. I had actually created
something really useful for my community. Nicola Sarkozy, former president of the republic of
France once said that Africa had missed history and that it should get more involved into the
future. I have never been fond of Mr. Sarkozy, but what he said on that day got stuck my mind
since. It made me wonder about the only thing that Africa has for granted: nature and more
spefically 300 days of sunshine in most areas every year.
The first book that I have read about Solar Energy was How to Design, Build and Set up
Photovoltaic Components and Solar Electric Systems by Hurley. It introduced me to the design
and set up of a basic photovoltaic solar system. According to Hurley, a photovoltaic solar system
is the process of converting light into electricity at the atomic level. In the book, he presents a
step by step process to calculate daily electrical usage and needs, plan and size the solar electric
system, mount and orient PV panels, wire solar panel arrays, make a ventilated battery box and
wire battery arrays for solar panels. I have own that book for the past five pays and it is probably
one of the catalysts to my obsession with solar energy systems. I have used it to install my first
ever solar panel and it was a huge success.
In Mali, electricity is produced using hydroelectric dams. During summer, rivers dry and
cities are faced with prolonged power cuts that can last hours. In addition, air conditioning
requires a lot of electrical energy and only a small fraction of the population can afford it. Most
people use their air conditioning when it is hot, and this usually occurs with high solar radiation
during daytime. In a solar energy system such as solar collectors, solar radiation is the main
energy source, and it is therefore, appropriate for use in a cooling system (Camacho). The
completion of the SolarCity project would have a tremendous impact in Malians lives. I have
decided to target the cities rather than the villages where most people are concerned and the need

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for energy is greater. Thus the name SolarCity. Not only will it provide a path to energy
independence, it will also allow Malians to save money compared to conventional energy
sources. On top of that, it will raise awareness for the potential of solar energy and help protect
the environment.
We live in a society that heavily relies on fossil and biomass energies and those wont last
forever. Since the early 90s, alternative energies have experienced a strong growth due to the
willingness of some countries to acknowledge the depletion of fossil resources and
environmental problems caused by the conventional means of energy production. Thus, most are
focusing their effort into researching clean alternative energies for the future. Solar and wind
energy are the main topics people talks about. The sun and wind energy are free and
inexhaustible and they should be counted on when it comes to the future of energy consumption.
As a result, the production and installation of photovoltaic modules have increased tenfold in a
dozen years (Golusin 2). Nowadays, Germany, considered as the biggest energy consumer in
Europe, is leading the way when it comes to solar energy production (Golusin Mirjana 7-57).
The sun energy collection process consist of converting the sun radiation to electricity via a
photovoltaic panel. With the constant innovation in the domain of solar energy, it has become
easier to power cities using primarily solar energy. In this regard, companies have their vision set
into making the technology efficient enough to gather interest for residential use.
We now have solar collectors capable of computing the exact position of the sun at any
moment of the day. Those values are used to orient the solar panels in a way that they are facing
the sun at all time for maximum irradiation (Camacho 25-47). One of the most recent
breakthroughs is probably the Enphase Microinverter System replacing the central inverter
system. The central inverter system, known as the method of installing modules in series on a

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roof, has always been the norm when it comes to solar energy (Rajgor 1). While relatively easy
to implement, this method is very inefficient and require training and certification to operate
according to Paul Nahi director of Enphase Energy. Founded in 2006, the company built the
Enphase Microinverter System which allows each panel to work independently and provides an
automated process for all operations and maintenance. In a glance, the Microinverter system
provides an intelligent energy collection process by using a specialized software. The output
direct current is then converted to alternative current for maximum efficiently. As a result, the
Enphase M215 known as the most efficient Microinverter is capable of delivering 96%
efficiency which is 25% more than traditional solar systems (Rajgor 2).
I focused particularly on the success and failure stories of similar projects in China,
Brazil, India, the US and Europe. Why some succeed while other failed? In the past years,
advances in energy production was undeniable despite poor management process. We are now in
the era of implementation and better management practices are required. Putting solar panels on
roofs is not enough anymore, we need optimization. Energy management can be defined as the
means of minimizing, controlling and optimizing energy usage. In the first four chapters of
Sustainable Energy Management, Golusin discusses the planning, analysis, development and
optimization of sustainable energy production projects. According to her, implementing those
factors correctly could be the difference between saving as much as 25% energy cost and total
failure (Golusin).
After analyzing my findings, I have realized that I should focus more on affordability
than effectiveness. Company such as Enphase Energy are investing huge amount of resources
into the development of more efficient energy production. As a result, we are seeing plug and
play solar panels that require no particular skill or training. I should focus more on analyzing and

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better understanding the current situation of photovoltaic systems in Mali; identify the best
practices on photovoltaic technologies to be applied in the context of Mali, and finally set up a
financial model that will develop the use of photovoltaic energy in the cities. Solar city is totally
possible in Africa, but require a huge initial investment. If everything goes according to plan, I
will start looking into expanding the project to neighborhood cities.
This inquiry project showed me that anything is possible when you set your goal towards
it. Solar energy production has been done before and there was no magic involved. The sun is
free and for the taking. All that is needed is a bold project that will allow people to grab a slice of
it. In most of the examples that I have come across, some households dont use all the energy
their rooftop collects and the excess is stored for after sun use. The good thing about solar
batteries is that the stored energy cumulates over the days so a few days of cloudy skies wont
affect the household. I am still wondering about ways to share those surplus of energies with
households needing more than what they produce. Thinking further, I can envision households
selling their own extra stored energy for profit. Looking back at this inquiry, I was able to have
an understanding of what it takes to gather energy form the sun, store it and use it to produce
electricity. My dream would be to put that knowledge into practice in Mali and pioneer the first
solar city in Africa. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I was not able to look into what others
have done wrong and right when it comes to the specific case of Africa. For projects like this,
hands on experience is the best practice. I will definitely be visiting solar energy production
facilities in Africa in the near future to further my knowledge.

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Works Cited
Camacho, E. F. Control of Solar Energy Systems. London: Springer, 2012. Print.
Golussin, Mirjana, Sinissa Dodic, and Stevan Popov. Sustainable Energy Management. N.p.: n.p.,
n.d. Print.
Hurley, Phillip. Solar II: How to Design, Build and Set up Photovoltaic Components and Solar
Electric Systems. Wheelock, VT: Wheelock Mountain Publications, 2012. Print.
Rajgor, Gail. "Microinverters a Solar Game Changer." Renewable Energy Focus 14.3 (2013):
16-17. Web.
Rajgor, Gail. "Solar City Showcase." Refocus 7.5 (2006): 60-61. Web.