Light for Education IV: Arso Amba, Ethiopia The project in summary: Solar electrification of an entire village with 4,500 inhabitants, a school, health station and churches. Alleviation of poverty by improving the work, income and communications situation. Children and adults are to be given much better educational opportunities. Health: Lung and respiratory diseases caused by using kerosene lamps are to be prevented. Financial sustainability: Inhabitants are to pay a monthly flat rate for maintenance and service. Maintenance is to be carried out by on site employees of the Solar Energy Foundation. The development of the village is to be accompanied by the Solar Energy Foundation. Continuation of the Solar Energy Foundation's award winning projects which have supplied Stiftung Solarenergie Solar Energy Foundation 2013 1 Ethiopian villages with solar power since 2004.
Initial situation: Poverty due to a lack of power resources An important basis for development is the reliable access to affordable power. 1.3 billion people worldwide have no access to clean and affordable energy today. These people live mostly in developing countries. However, many of the poor and poorest countries are, at the same time, the areas of our planet with the most sun. The electricity supply in Ethiopia is extremely backward. Only approximately 1% of the rural population has access to the electricity grid. Due to the proximity to the equator, the sun sets in Ethiopia at about 6.30 p.m. and so, from the early evening on, lighting is required. As a rule, this light is provided by kerosene lamps. Each lamp requires approximately 40 litres of kerosene annually and produces around 80 kg of CO2. A kerosene lamp produces on the one hand poor light but on the other a lot of harmful soot and acrid smoke. In Africa more people die of respiratory diseases from kerosene and wood every year than from malaria. In addition, the people also suffer from eye damage due to the poor light from the kerosene lamp. In contrast, solar energy is clean and prevents damage to health. A further source of power are dry cell batteries which are used to operate radios and cassette recorders. As there is no recycling system, batteries are simply thrown away when they are dead. Many streets in Ethiopia are full of old batteries which are often cut open by inquisitive children. Children playing with old batteries Continuation of successful village electrification projects since 2004 In order to be able to make a long term contribution towards alleviating poverty, the Solar Energy Foundation decided not to provide isolated and scattered schools, health stations or huts with solar energy. Instead, the Solar Energy Foundation pursued a policy of concentrated and comprehensive support to supply whole villages. Since 2004 we have provided three entire villages with solar power: Kechemober: 150 inhabitants Rema: 6,000 inhabitants (movie about Rema: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4jv0xlbuqs) Dire: 4,000 inhabitants The Solar Energy Foundation has received several international awards for this long term approach towards village development. The last time was in 2013 when it received the Energy Globe Award for the second time. In addition to the households all public buildings (schools, health stations and churches) in all solar villages were also provided with solar power. Furthermore, solar water pumps, water disinfection systems and street lamps were also installed. Long term success was ensured by two factors: on the one hand by local technicians who are on site and responsible for the maintenance and servicing and on the other hand by a monthly flat rate the inhabitants have to pay and which is collected and administered by the Solar Energy Foundation together with the village administration. Stiftung Solarenergie Solar Energy Foundation 2013 2
The fourth selected village: Arso Amba In order to continue this work the Solar Energy Foundation has selected a further village to provide with solar power: The village of Arso Amba is located 280 km northeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, in a mountainous and remote area which is considered to be one of the poorest in Ethiopia. Around 4,500 people live here in 900 tukuls, the huts which are typical for this country. Most of them earn their living as farmers and some as craftsmen. The provision of solar energy opens up opportunities for development to the whole village in a variety of ways. Here are just a few examples: Arso Amba approximately 4,500 inhabitants in 900 tukuls several small shops (kiosks) 2 churches 1 health station 1 elementary school (Arso Amba Magna Elementary School) with 750 pupils and 18 teachers spring: 2 kilometres away in a steep ravine (approx. 135 metres difference in altitude) Light for education and domestic work: households Due to insufficient light in the evenings it is not only difficult to do the housework, but also for the children to learn. Many children have to help their parents in the fields after school and can therefore only do their homework in the evening. Solar energy provides a clean and bright light which changes this situation radically. Technical solution: Solar system with 10Wp solar module, 4 LED lamps, charge controller with prepayment system and a maintenance free battery. Solar water pumps The people need water for use in their own households as well as for the irrigation of the fields. They often have to spend hours every day on arduous marches transporting water from a water source back to the village. This is hard work which is usually done by the women and children. Pupil with a kerosene lamp Here solar energy offers an inexpensive and reliable solution which ensures the supply of the vital water. Technical solution: Solar water pumps to pump the required water reliably to central filling stations in the centre of the village. Light for education: village school The local village school needs light in various areas: classrooms (evening school), teacher's accommodation and conference rooms. In many villages in which the Solar Energy Foundation has been active, evening courses for adults have often also been organized. These usually come about as a result of the initiative of the women, who want to make use of the solar light in the schools in order to learn how to read and write themselves. This was an opportunity which they did not have when they were young. Elementary school Arso Amba Technical solution: Solar systems similar to the ones used in the households but adapted to the size of the classrooms. Stiftung Solarenergie Solar Energy Foundation 2013 3
The new solar village Arso Amba and the first three solar villages of the Solar Energy Foundation The centre of Arso Amba Traditional Ethiopian round huts (tukuls) Stiftung Solarenergie Solar Energy Foundation 2013 4
Safety: solar street lanterns From about 6.30 p.m. on, due to the early fall of darkness, social life and mutual exchange are very restricted. Leaving the house can also be dangerous and for this reason only few people are out and about at night, their paths dimly lit by the light of battery operated torches. Technical solution: It has been proved that solar street lanterns provide more safety and protection from theft as well as from wild animals. Health stations: Refrigeration of medicine and light for medical treatment In the rural health stations in Africa medicines are normally kept cool by means of diesel operated refrigerators. Solar cooling systems, however, have decisive advantages: Their operating reliability is much higher because they are not dependent upon fuel deliveries and the running costs are considerably lower. The lack of sufficient light in the health stations means it is difficult to treat sick people or to assist at births at night. The poor light provided by the kerosene lamp is often a source of danger and leads to delayed treatment. Technical solution: Solar operated refrigerators to cool medication as well as solar systems to provide sufficient light for treatment and births at night. Arduous work fetching water from the spring in the valley, usually done by the women and children Mother holding a kerosene lamp and baby Traditional housework in the open air Stiftung Solarenergie Solar Energy Foundation 2013 5
Principles of the project The provision of an entire village with solar power presents particular technological, logistical and organizational challenges. The Solar Energy Foundation can draw on its many years of experience, gathered when installing solar systems in the first three solar villages. The principles of the project are as follows: The project must be orientated towards the actual needs of the inhabitants and be planned and realized with their active cooperation. We only implement solar products which, with regard to quality and durability, are capable of functioning for long periods of time in the adverse conditions of the Ethiopian countryside. The aim is not to be cheap but to make good quality affordable. To this effect, we make use of our own microfinancing. The Solar Energy Foundation does not provide the solar systems free of charge. It installs them in accordance with a cost sharing model: 25% of the the procurement costs are paid by the rural household, the rest by the Solar Energy Foundation. In addition to this, a monthly fee of around 1 euro has to be paid into an account which is administered jointly by the village community and the Solar Energy Foundation. This is to be used for the maintenance and operation of the solar systems as well as for the replacement of the battery after 5 7 years. The maintenance is done by local solar technicians, who are trained by us during the installation phase. In the case of solar systems which are used communally (e.g. water pumps), the local community has to lower costs by contributing their own personal efforts (e.g. by building a water reservoir themselves). particular importance is placed on the operational management: technical: provision of spare parts; opportunity of having service and maintenance done by trained, local people. socio cultural: integration of solar energy in the daily routine of the users. financial: establishment of a reliable payment system which ensures that the costs for service, maintenance and procurement of any replacement parts can be covered by the user. The components of the solar systems are imported and then assembled on site by Ethiopian solar technicians. Installation and maintenance work is also carried out entirely by Ethiopian solar technicians. In the last few years the Ethiopian training centre of the Solar Energy Foundation has trained 64 solar technicians in courses each lasting for six months. These people have excellent practical and theoretical knowledge. In this way the project also supports local trade. It also ensures that the necessary technical know how is present on site. Costs Solar systems for households: 160 each (144,000 in total) Solar energy for the school (classrooms, conference and teachers' rooms): 2,500 Health station: light and refrigeration of medicine: 4,500 Solar street lanterns: 900 each (9,000 in total) Solar water pump: 45,000 Training of local technicians in Arso Amba: 3,000 Tukul with solar light in the first solar village: Kechemober Stiftung Solarenergie Solar Energy Foundation 2013 6
Reports from the inhabitants of Rema, the second solar village of the Solar Energy Foundation Stiftung Solarenergie Solar Energy Foundation Germany Switzerland Ethiopia Director: Dr. Harald Schützeichel Board: Beate Baumm, Josy Bürgin, Head: Samson Tsegaye Board: Beate Baumm, Ursi York Ditfurth, Ursi Schachenmann, Dr. Administrator: Worku Tessema Schachenmann, Jörg Stüdeli Harald Schützeichel (Pres.), Jörg Stüdeli Chief engineer: Yonas Workie Weberstrasse 10 Postfach 380 P.O. Box 22734/1000 79249 Merzhausen 8042 Zürich Addis Ababa Commerzbank Freiburg PostFinance Account no. 04 261 471 00 Account no. 85 575297 7 BLZ 680 800 30 IBAN CH37 0900 0000 8557 5297 7 mail@stiftung solarenergie.org mail@stiftung solarenergie.org mail@stiftung solarenergie.org The Solar Energy Foundation is recognized in Germany, Switzerland and Ethiopia as a charitable organization. Stiftung Solarenergie Solar Energy Foundation 2013 7