Aug 26 2010
Rural Energy Foundation, a not–for-profit organization from the Netherlands, has helped more than 450,000 people living in sub Sahara region of Africa to avail the power of low cost solar lighting.
The foundation runs SolarNow program, and guides independent retailing companies and skilled workers from nine countries from all over the world to sell and install low cost solar installations or systems to the people living in Africa without electric power. The organization recently received the Ashden Award for its sustainable energy efforts.
Solar Demo
The foundation supports nearly 250 independent retailing companies in countries such as Zambia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mali and Ghana for the projects. The foundation itself does not provide the equipments to house owners, instead train the independent vendors in the solar energy technology, sales and business administration and marketing to enable them to increase their sales. It also helps the home owners with easy to repay loans to purchase the systems which can be repaid in one or two years.
Willem Nolens, Rural Energy Foundation’s Director, said that the non availability of electric power and clean drinking water are actually the causes of poverty and not the results of poverty. He added that the access to clean electric power will enable them to increase their productivity, allow their children to attend schools and get educated by reading books and watching television, thus allowing them to reach to others all over the world.