Solar is New Life for Poor African Communities

Photo by Solar Aid

According to analysis by the World bank 1.6 billion people in poor countries have no access to electricity. That bears repeating: 1.6 billion people have no access to electricity. According to SolarAid, a British company developing solar projects in Africa, 20% of the household income of people in poorer communities in Africa is spent on fuel. In a world so plentiful in wealth and technology this should never happen.

Now solar power may provide access to energy never seen before in these poorest of countries. Legislators from 11 countries in Southern Africa met this past weekend to "hear how they could supply electricity to their nations without harming the planet". The most promising alternative appears to be off-grid solar which can provide for most energy needs without the need for massive infrastructure such as grid networks.  Africa in particular is uniquely suited to solar energy due to it's large amount of sunlight.

So far the bellweather project is one by the Solar Energy Foundation of Sweden in which they developed and distributed solar-home-systems to 10,000 people in Remu, Ethiopia.  The solar-home-systems provide a small supply of electricity, powered by solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. The system provides enough electricity for lighting and a small piece of equipment such as a radio. The equipment for this project, at a cost of $260 USD was paid for by donations.  Users pay a monthly fee of between 90 cents and $1.20 US. Without additional funding households in poorer countries will not be able to afford the cost of the equipment for projects such as this.

Off-grid solar power may hold the key to civilization for poorer nations now and in the years to come. Think about it, if you were thinking about donating to charity what would be a more effective way to empower people to pull themselves out of poverty or at least ease the suffering that it brings? Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; give him electricity and you feed him for a lifetime.

To donate to Solar Aid, a charity that brings solar power to poorer nations and communities:

Solar Aid