Bringing light to developing areas

Children in Bessassi welcome the benefits of the new solar array. (Photo Credit: SELF)

In 2010, the use of solar power doubled around the world and is predicted to grow this year by another 25 percent. Despite these gains, the developing world still lags in the ability to access this technology even though it has the most to gain from its use.

As governments around the world seek to reduce their carbon footprint and continue to wean themselves off fossil fuels, many have invested in solar technology as a cost effective way to meet their long term goals. The biggest solar industries today are located in China, Europe, and the US; but many economists predict that by 2020, today’s developing nations will make up the majority of those using solar power.

Most developing nations get their energy from charcoal and fuel wood, which become dangerous when burned in tight spaces such as homes. This practice also ruins the natural resources where people live. As trees are cut down for energy, the soil used to grow food is no longer held in place. The land then becomes unlivable as food can no longer be grown in the surrounding area. Burning wood and charcoal also releases carbon dioxide into the air, contributing to global warming.

To solve these problems, many non-profit organizations are concentrating on how solar technology can support those in need. Solar technology has the ability to reach the most remote regions of the world because it does not require an electric line, allowing the technology to be installed in the most remote areas. The ability for solar to stand alone also makes the electricity cheaper in areas of the world where it can be very expensive.

Solar Water Well’s (SWW) are just like any other automated well. A pipe is drilled between three hundred and five hundred feet underground, and has a spout where the water comes out and put into a large sphere. The solar panel is connected at the top of the pipe, and directly to the drill, in order to feed it the electricity it needs to run. These wells are durable, do not release any greenhouse gases, and over time become cheaper than gasoline and diesel powered pumps.

A non-profit called Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is currently working on bringing this technology to these remote regions. In December 2010, SELF went to the villages of Bessassi and Dunkassa, located in the country of Benin, and built three Solar Water Wells. Benin is a small country in Africa where the southern tip hits the Atlantic Ocean and borders the countries of Nigeria and Togo. The wells built will provide families with safe and clean drinking water and the ability to farm year round.

Bessassi and Dunkassa are known to have droughts six months out of the year. The World Health Organization reported in 2008 that in Benin, water borne diseases remain one of the leading causes of death for children under five. But most of those deaths, especially from diarrhea, could have been prevented, if there was safe drinking water in the area.

In a interview with MediaGlobal, Robert Freling, executive director of SELF, said, “In Benin, West Africa, where the most recent remittances is focused on, we’ve combined solar water pumping with irrigation to help grow food during the dry season.”

Financing has been one of the biggest hindrances to solar energies expansion. The wells built by SELF cost $18,000 a piece and were funded through micro-financing. This includes locating a place to build the well and transporting the equipment.

“The use of microfinance is very important to make this technology affordable to the people,” Freling explained. According to the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIE), the people who receive these loans have limited access to other financial services, and are unable to start or expand their business. Microfinance Institutions work like regular banks but are specifically created to provide loans for groups or individuals who need the money.

In Benin, researchers from Stanford University found that since the first solar wells were put in place in 2007, income for individuals has increased. Since the wells enabled farmers to grow more food, women in particular were able to earn an extra $7.50 a week by selling more food at local markets. This has also helped improve the nutrition for Benin’s families. Local businesses have grown since the installation of the wells, and the study estimated that in 2.3 years, people using the wells will be able to pay for it themselves.

Bringing solar energy around the world will help those most in need, and allow people living in extreme poverty to build and grow their societies, become self reliant, and lift themselves out of their present condition.