Cosolar Africa

26/09/2026

THE FUTURE OF AFRICA’S ENERGY NEEDS YOU.

Are you a student passionate about energy, technology, innovation, sustainability, or Africa’s development?

The CoSolar Energy Fellowship is your opportunity to learn, connect with like-minded students, work on real-world energy challenges, and begin building the skills needed to shape Africa’s energy future.

This is more than a fellowship.
It’s a chance to become part of the next generation of energy leaders.

📅 Applications close: October 20
🚀 Cohort begins: November 1

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSSRcO26trk51BiABarxh4aesZ3qDJ2wNkXhCphbwtFU5dgg/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Don’t just watch Africa’s energy future unfold.
Be part of building it.

Apply now.

19/08/2026

Energy in Simple Terms #2: kVA vs kW

19/08/2026

If your electricity bill says kWh, but your inverter says kW, what exactly is the difference?

Let's make it simple.

Think about your car:

🚗 kW is like the engine's power.
It tells you how much power is being delivered or required at a given moment.
⛽ kWh is like the amount of fuel available.
It tells you how much energy is available to use over time.

01/07/2026

Happy New Month from Cosolar! A new month means new opportunities to go green, cut energy costs, and build a more sustainable future one solar panel at a time. Let's make July shine.

22/06/2026

18/06/2026

🇿🇦 South Africa is on Cosolar.

As one of Africa's leading solar markets, South Africa continues to set the pace for renewable energy adoption, innovation, and deployment.

Now, South African installers can join Cosolar Africa—the platform built to help solar professionals design systems faster, connect with peers, and contribute to Africa's growing renewable energy intelligence network.

And to installers across Nigeria and the rest of Africa:

The future of solar is not just installation.

It's data.
It's collaboration.
It's intelligence.

Don't get left behind.

Join the movement shaping Africa's energy future.

🌍 Cosolar.Africa

14/06/2026

SOLAR EARTHING: THE FOUNDATION OF A SAFE PV SYSTEM

Earthing is one of the most critical yet overlooked aspects of solar installation. It is the safety backbone that protects lives, equipment, and buildings.

A properly designed earthing system ensures that any fault current, leakage, or lightning surge has a safe path into the ground instead of passing through humans or damaging equipment.

In a standard solar PV system, the following must be properly earthed:

🔹 Solar panel frames and mounting structures
🔹 Inverter body and metal enclosures
🔹 Battery system racks and cabinets
🔹 AC distribution boards
🔹 Surge Protection Devices (SPDs)

A good earthing system typically includes:
✔ Earth rods installed deep into moist soil
✔ Low earth resistance (ideally ≤ 5 ohms)
✔ Strong bonding between all metallic parts
✔ Proper grounding of SPDs for surge discharge
Without proper earthing, even a well-designed solar system becomes a safety hazard. Loose grounding can lead to electric shock, equipment failure, and fire risks.

14/06/2026

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.

They start because of small installation mistakes.

1. A loose terminal.

2. A poor crimp.

4. Mixed MC4 connectors.

5. An undersized cable.

6. A missing surge protector.

Individually, these mistakes may seem minor.

Combined, they create heat, resistance, arcing, and eventually system failure.

Professional solar engineering is not just about making the system work today.

It is about ensuring the system remains safe, reliable, and efficient for years to come.

The best engineers follow a simple principle:

✅ Measure before you connect

✅ Torque before you energize

✅ Inspect before you leave

✅ Document before you forget

✅ Safety before speed

Remember:

Solar systems rarely fail suddenly.

They fail because small installation mistakes are allowed to remain unnoticed.

Build safer systems. Design smarter. Protect lives.

14/06/2026

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰? 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐈𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂.

For years, PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell) technology dominated the solar market.

Today, a new technology is rapidly becoming the global standard:

🔹 TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact)

Why are manufacturers like JinkoSolar, LONGi, and Trina Solar investing heavily in TOPCon?

Because it delivers better performance where it matters most.

✅ Higher Efficiency
Modern TOPCon modules can achieve 22–23% efficiency, meaning they convert more sunlight into usable electricity from the same panel area.

✅ Better Performance in Hot Climates
High temperatures reduce solar panel output. TOPCon panels maintain stronger performance under heat, making them particularly attractive for countries like Nigeria and across Africa.

✅ Lower Degradation
All solar panels lose performance over time. TOPCon technology degrades more slowly, helping systems maintain higher output for longer periods.

✅ Better Bifacial Performance
TOPCon panels capture reflected sunlight more effectively from the rear side, increasing overall energy production when installed in suitable environments.

What does this mean for installers and system owners?

A panel is no longer just a panel.

The difference between panel technologies can significantly affect:
• Energy production
• System lifespan
• Return on investment
• Performance in African weather conditions

As solar technology evolves, understanding these differences becomes just as important as choosing the right battery or inverter.

The future of solar is not only about installing more panels.
It's about installing smarter panels.