A Solar Solution
to the Energy Crisis

By Karim Azhari

The Lebanese energy crisis has persisted for long but it was given a new lease on life by the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2019. The energy sector has always been the primary source of government debt with large, unsustainable budget deficits. The main cause of the energy crisis goes back to the fact that EDL, the monopoly electricity firm in Lebanon, is a state-owned firm and as such subject to all kinds of inefficiencies. And as the government has the upper hand in terms of energy provision, wasteful entitlements and corrupt practices in the sector has denied citizens their right to benefit from steady, reliable energy consumption.

As a result, the dire energy situation in Lebanon requires immediate, sustainable solutions. On the demand side, there is still skepticism concerning the use of renewable energy, although some are currently switching over to this more viable source, especially solar energy that is actually experiencing a mini boom at the moment.

The fact remains that large segments of the population are unaware of the advantages of switching to solar, especially among underprivileged groups who are not sufficiently educated on this matter. These groups still have faith that electric power will be restored in their houses in the near future, and that the energy crisis as a whole will be rectified. But what they are currently subsisting on is unbearable and practically inhumane; and worse, this is bound to persist as Lebanon is nowhere near a resolution of its energy crisis. Moreover, by sticking with this waiting option, they suffer long hours of total blackouts . Aside from solar panels, the next or only available solution lies in resorting to private generators’ usage, a system that is relatively costly to the majority of Lebanese citizens. Many, for instance, can only afford to have their refrigerator on for a short period of time and keep one or two lamps turned on for a few hours.

It is imperative to find solutions that would help rectify the inequality in awareness, and by extension the inequality in opportunities relating to energy provision that unfortunately seems to be widening over time. And, as important, it is not only a question of demand, as it is equally crucial to take measures on the supply-side, in order to ensure that supply is fully equipped to efficiently and productively respond to the growing uptake in demand for solar panels as an alternative energy source.

Energy crisis reseach paper

By Karim Azhari