Saving With Surya

To clarify this from the beginning: Surya is the Hindu god of the sun – celebrated in regular festivals and venerated by a billion or so followers in India and beyond. It may seem rather trite to combine the concept of frugality with such a cherished idol, and certainly, we rarely associate the heavenly bodies with the prosaic task of saving a few pennies. However, recent developments in the traditionally undeveloped home of Hinduism are beginning to re-enforce the reason why this brightest of deities has been worshipped for millennia.

In answer to a failing infrastructure in the face of a population explosion, India has turned away from centralised power stations that provide electricity to millions and has begun to implement a scheme that supplies off-grid power to hundreds of smaller villages and towns. It is estimated that some 1.2 billion people are still without electricity within the country and it is simply too expensive (and wholly impractical) to create enough large power stations to feed this exponentially growing population. You may ask how the development of this third-world country can possibly apply to our everyday existence in our well-developed Western society. For the Indians, it is not a matter of saving a few pounds for a summer holiday but whether they receive any electricity at all.

Advantages of solar systems

We can, however, learn a lot from our supposedly less civilised counterparts as they celebrate the honour of Surya with a wholesale move into off-grid solar power plants. Of course, we are now all used to hearing the maxim that we must switch to renewable energy but the example set by these schemes begins to suggest a whole host of other benefits for the Western consumer.

As utility prices rise, we are all becoming more aware of the amount of energy we consume and exactly what it is costing us. In fact, some sources have suggested that we are currently spending around a tenth of our annual income on such necessities. With off-grid solar power we benefit in a number of ways, and you are likely to

• Receive government subsidies for you initial investment
• Reduce your annual electricity bill by using more off-grid power
• Receive payment for surplus power created from power companies
• Increase your future home value
• And of course, provide a cleaner world for your children

For all of the West’s superior knowledge and technology, it seems that it is a so-called third-world country that is taking the lead in the push for renewable energy. So why not put your faith in one of the oldest gods on the planet and learn more about off-grid solar power systems by providers like Trina Solar? You will certainly enjoy your time in the sun, whether it be at home or on that long-awaited holiday paid for by your savings.

photo credit: anders.erik.hansen via photopin cc