Churches, mosques and temples have a pattern no monthly bill shows: one busy day a week, with the sound system, projectors, lights and fans all running, and much quieter weekdays with an office, a few lights and perhaps a borehole pump. Like schools, they get the most from solar when it is sized for how the building is actually used.
The example
A church or mosque on the small commercial SC3 tariff (about KES 28.82 per kWh all-in in the daytime) uses:
- About 50 kWh of daytime power on the main day: sound, lighting, fans, projectors, the kitchen.
- About 6 kWh of daytime power on each other day: the office, security lights charging, the borehole pump and cleaning.
That is about 86 kWh of daytime use a week, an average of about 12 kWh a day.
Two ways to size it
| Sized for the weekly average | Sized for the weekdays | |
|---|---|---|
| Panels (620 W) | 6 | 3 |
| Array | 3.7 kW | 1.9 kW |
| Solar produced per week | about 100 kWh | about 50 kWh |
| Solar actually used per week | about 50 kWh | about 43 kWh |
| Share of output used | 50% | 87% |
| Savings per year | about KES 75,000 | about KES 65,000 |
| Savings per panel | about KES 12,500 | about KES 21,500 |
Doubling the panels adds only about KES 10,000 a year, because on six days of the week the extra output has nowhere to go. A battery cannot fix this: it would have to store a whole week of surplus for one day.
How to get more from the panels
- Move flexible loads to weekdays. Pump water to storage tanks, run the laundry for vestments or linen, and charge equipment during the week.
- Share the power. A church or mosque compound with a school, clinic or offices next door can feed their daytime loads from the same panels, raising the share used.
- Ask about exporting. Whether surplus can be credited depends on Kenya Power's approval and terms at the time.
- Add a battery only for backup. A battery that keeps the sound system and lights running through an outage during the main service is worth considering on its own merits; size it for the service length, not for storage.
Off-grid and rural congregations
Where there is no grid connection, solar with a battery sized for the main service and evening meetings replaces a generator. At current EPRA diesel prices, generator fuel costs about KES 100 per kWh, so even a modest system pays back quickly. See diesel generator vs solar hybrid.
Raising the funds
Congregations often fund solar through a members' appeal. A clear proposal with the expected yearly savings, the payback period and the supplier comparison builds trust. Our articles on solar payback and comparing quotes set out the figures a finance committee will want.
Plan your system
- Use the free solar calculator with your bill and a realistic daytime share.
- For a compound with a school or clinic, StimaPulse can model the shared loads together; request an assessment.