OldSoul : There are 620 million people in Africa without electricity. Here's where they live.

OldSoul

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There are 620 million people in Africa without electricity. Here's where they live.

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3) Even those who do get electricity don't get a lot of it. Ghana, for instance, had to ration its electricity just to make sure people could watch the World Cup. And the average consumption in sub-Saharan Africa is about 317 kWh per year — or less than a modern American refrigerator.

4) The most popular energy source, by far, is "bioenergy" — mainly the burning of wood, charcoal, and dung. That, in turn, produces a lot of indoor air pollution, which is currently killing millions of people per year:

Africa needs a lot more energy to lift itself out of poverty. And, right now, fossil fuels are still the cheapest way to do that in grid-connected areas — note that coal plants and gas turbines cost just one-third of what solar panels do. (Although in rural areas far from the grid, it's a closer call, and wind and solar power are quickly becoming competitive.) And unless or until clean energy gets significantly cheaper, fossil fuel use is almost certain to rise in the decades ahead.

The rest: http://www.vox.com/2014/10/13/6970513/africa-electricity-620-million-people-map-gas-coal-solar
 
This article had me thinking about the water being shut off in Detroit.
Some solar alternatives are becoming available. As time passes the industry will capitalize on this need and more can be done, as well as done cheaper. There is hope! There are many micro-business opportunities to aid Africans and help them start a small business and improve living conditions. This is one that eliminates the smoke and danger of fires.

solar-sister-2-537x442.jpg

We take electricity for granted in the developed world, but did you know that 1.6 billion people – a full one quarter of the world’s population – don’t have access to reliable electricity? The consequences are far-reaching: The lack of electric lighting impacts children’s ability to do well in school and prevents people from working once the sun has set, and dangerous kerosene lamps fill the air with soot and CO2 emissions.
Using a micro-consignment model, Solar Sister provides entrepreneurs with a ‘business in a bag’ – including inventory, training and marketing support to bring clean energy directly to their customer’s doorsteps. Every dollar invested in a Solar Sister entrepreneur generates over $48 in economic benefits in the first year alone, through earned income for the entrepreneur and the cash savings of her customers.

For example, a solar lantern costing $18 brings $163 cumulative savings over a five-year period by displacing kerosene usage. Another $45 solar lantern plus mobile phone charger brings $225 in cumulative savings in displaced kerosene usage and mobile charging fees over the same period. The lanterns are one-tenth the cost of solar home systems, and customers benefit from increased savings, extended working hours, better indoor air quality and extended study time for children.

As the primary consumers of household energy, women are critical for the successful adaptation of clean energy solutions. Through Solar Sister’s program, women become their own bosses and create sustainable businesses for themselves. And they use their natural networks of family, friends and neighbors to provide the most effective distribution channel to rural and hard-to-reach customers.


Solar Sister started by training ten women entrepreneurs in Uganda in 2009



Read more: Solar Sister Empowers Women to Bring Solar Energy to Rural Africa | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
Read more: Solar Sister Empowers Women to Bring Solar Energy to Rural Africa | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
Enter Solar Sister, a nonprofit that is eradicating energy poverty one solar device at a time while empowering women with economic opportunity. The organization distributes solar-powered products like lanterns and cell phone chargers through women’s rural networks in Africa.

Read more: Solar Sister Empowers Women to Bring Solar Energy to Rural Africa | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

=======================================​


Been around since 2013​
http://inhabitat.com/pay-as-you-go-...can-communities-a-cheaper-energy-alternative/
azuri-indigo-PAYG-solar-power-in-Africa-2.jpg


azuri-indigo-PAYG-solar-power-in-Africa.jpg


The PAYG model allows customers to pay an up-front fee of around $10 for a solar charger kit that includes a two- to five-watt solar panel and a control unit that powers LED lights and charges devices like mobile phones.

Energy is then paid for as and when it’s needed, either in advance each week, or when families have enough money to spare. It normally takes about 18 months to pay off one of the solar kit, after which the electricity is free to the new owner.

PAYG is similar to existing models in Africa that allow hundreds of millions of Africans to purchase mobile phone minutes and kerosene fuel incrementally. So far, families find that instead of paying $2 to $3 a week for kerosene, they pay less than half that for solar energy.

Azuri isn’t alone either; Angaza Design and M-KOPA are two other companies that offer PAYG services across the continent. Their customer bases are testament to the popularity of affordable solar power. Azuri has over 21,000 customers in 10 countries, M-KOPA already has 30,000 customers, and Angaza is on track to reach 10,000 customers in the next nine to 12 months.

Kerosene is the fuel of choice for families living off the grid in sub-Saharan Africa – however it inflicts a heavy toll on people’s health and costs up to $8 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Compared to the 10 to 15 cents per kWh paid by residents in the US and UK, it costs 400 times more to charge a mobile phone in rural Kenya. Solar power is a promising alternative, but it often costs too much for African families to buy outright – which is why companies like Azuri Technologies have come up with a Pay-As-You-Go model (PAYG) for solar kits.

Read more: Pay-as-You-Go Solar Panels Offer African Communities a Cheaper Energy Alternative | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

Read more: Pay-as-You-Go Solar Panels Offer African Communities a Cheaper Energy Alternative | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
 
This article had me thinking about the water being shut off in Detroit.
Some solar alternatives are becoming available. As time passes the industry will capitalize on this need and more can be done, as well as done cheaper. There is hope! There are many micro-business opportunities to aid Africans and help them start a small business and improve living conditions. This is one that eliminates the smoke and danger of fires.

solar-sister-2-537x442.jpg

We take electricity for granted in the developed world, but did you know that 1.6 billion people – a full one quarter of the world’s population – don’t have access to reliable electricity? The consequences are far-reaching: The lack of electric lighting impacts children’s ability to do well in school and prevents people from working once the sun has set, and dangerous kerosene lamps fill the air with soot and CO2 emissions.
Using a micro-consignment model, Solar Sister provides entrepreneurs with a ‘business in a bag’ – including inventory, training and marketing support to bring clean energy directly to their customer’s doorsteps. Every dollar invested in a Solar Sister entrepreneur generates over $48 in economic benefits in the first year alone, through earned income for the entrepreneur and the cash savings of her customers.

For example, a solar lantern costing $18 brings $163 cumulative savings over a five-year period by displacing kerosene usage. Another $45 solar lantern plus mobile phone charger brings $225 in cumulative savings in displaced kerosene usage and mobile charging fees over the same period. The lanterns are one-tenth the cost of solar home systems, and customers benefit from increased savings, extended working hours, better indoor air quality and extended study time for children.

As the primary consumers of household energy, women are critical for the successful adaptation of clean energy solutions. Through Solar Sister’s program, women become their own bosses and create sustainable businesses for themselves. And they use their natural networks of family, friends and neighbors to provide the most effective distribution channel to rural and hard-to-reach customers.


Solar Sister started by training ten women entrepreneurs in Uganda in 2009



Read more: Solar Sister Empowers Women to Bring Solar Energy to Rural Africa | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
Read more: Solar Sister Empowers Women to Bring Solar Energy to Rural Africa | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
Enter Solar Sister, a nonprofit that is eradicating energy poverty one solar device at a time while empowering women with economic opportunity. The organization distributes solar-powered products like lanterns and cell phone chargers through women’s rural networks in Africa.

Read more: Solar Sister Empowers Women to Bring Solar Energy to Rural Africa | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

=======================================​


Been around since 2013​
http://inhabitat.com/pay-as-you-go-...can-communities-a-cheaper-energy-alternative/
azuri-indigo-PAYG-solar-power-in-Africa-2.jpg


azuri-indigo-PAYG-solar-power-in-Africa.jpg


The PAYG model allows customers to pay an up-front fee of around $10 for a solar charger kit that includes a two- to five-watt solar panel and a control unit that powers LED lights and charges devices like mobile phones.

Energy is then paid for as and when it’s needed, either in advance each week, or when families have enough money to spare. It normally takes about 18 months to pay off one of the solar kit, after which the electricity is free to the new owner.

PAYG is similar to existing models in Africa that allow hundreds of millions of Africans to purchase mobile phone minutes and kerosene fuel incrementally. So far, families find that instead of paying $2 to $3 a week for kerosene, they pay less than half that for solar energy.

Azuri isn’t alone either; Angaza Design and M-KOPA are two other companies that offer PAYG services across the continent. Their customer bases are testament to the popularity of affordable solar power. Azuri has over 21,000 customers in 10 countries, M-KOPA already has 30,000 customers, and Angaza is on track to reach 10,000 customers in the next nine to 12 months.

Kerosene is the fuel of choice for families living off the grid in sub-Saharan Africa – however it inflicts a heavy toll on people’s health and costs up to $8 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Compared to the 10 to 15 cents per kWh paid by residents in the US and UK, it costs 400 times more to charge a mobile phone in rural Kenya. Solar power is a promising alternative, but it often costs too much for African families to buy outright – which is why companies like Azuri Technologies have come up with a Pay-As-You-Go model (PAYG) for solar kits.

Read more: Pay-as-You-Go Solar Panels Offer African Communities a Cheaper Energy Alternative | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

Read more: Pay-as-You-Go Solar Panels Offer African Communities a Cheaper Energy Alternative | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building


Solar energy is really what Africans should be investing in. Here in Barbados we have three solar heating companies. Barbados has sunshine all year round. Investing in this could reduce greatly the poverty in Africa and other countries.

World's biggest solar farm at centre of Portugal's ambitious ...

Thanks for posting Hodee
 
Africa doesn't need electricity of the common type. If you study the solar radiation map Africa receives the most solar radiation than any other continent on Earth. When the Book of the Dead says that Horus/Heru/Sango would defeat Set with the solar disc, I think it was prophesying how Africa would lead the world in the next big energy source which is Solar. An American university just designed a solar battery that retains 100% of the solar energy collected from the Sun. This new development is exciting for those of us who are picturing future cities in Africa where their entire city is solar powered, no wires!
 

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