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dam-l Solar in Lesotho/LS




                               Lesotho

                               The sun rays beam in the Kingdom

                               Mopheme/The Survivor (Maseru)
                               October 5, 1999
                               By Thabang Matjama

                               Maseru - The likelihood that the lives of
Basotho, especially who live in the rural areas, will change into better
was
                               brought to sight and hearing during the
official launch of a video on dissemination of solar electricity and
                               conservation for households by the Minister
of Natural Resources, at Maseru Sun on Wednesday last week.

                               The video will be used as a campaign mode
for Basotho, especially in the rural areas to adopt the technology of solar
                               energy as an alternative to traditional
energy means which are almost becoming scarce or too costly. During this
                               momentous event which was very well attended
by personalities from different ministries and private sector groups,
                               the Natural Resources Minister, Monyane
Moleleki disclosed that in the past two decades, various projects on the
                               development and dissemination of renewable
energy technologies in the country have been undertaken, but the process
                               of adaptation has been very slow.

                               He added that the department of energy
through the Advisory Project on Household and Building Energy Issues
                               (APHABEI), commissioned a study in 1993
whose main objective was to identify the setbacks which inhibit wide
                               adoption of the technologies. "This was done
to find out the reasons underlying this apparent lack of interest in new
                               and renewable energy forms," he said.

                               Moleleki further said 3.5% of Basotho have
access to grid electricity. "This low level of electrification through grid
                               reticulation presents immense opportunities
for utilisation of solar electricity. Due to its nature, of being capable
of
                               being tailored for individual needs, solar
electricity is very appropriate for the scattered settlements and the
topographic
                               characteristics of our beautiful country,"
he said, further urging the NGOs and individuals to lend their full support
to
                               this venture.

                               The event was also to present a solar energy
related video with a theme to raise awareness and the usefulness of the
                               system to the people after which questions
were asked from the floor to the panel for an open discussion. Asked about
                               the expenses involved in the installation of
the system, Otto Gomm, the representative of the German Assistance for
                               Technical Co-operation (GTZ), said the
capital to put the system in place can be worrying in the first struggles
but in
                               the long run it is as cheap as plain sailing.

                               Ingo Seifert, who is also taking part in the
project of making grassroots people's hum of life flourish added that it
has
                               been made possible for solar systems to be
sold even from furniture shops for easier access to the people.



                               Copyright (c) 1999 Mopheme/The Survivor.
Distributed via Africa News Online (www.africanews.org). For
                               information about the content or for
permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the
publisher.

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      Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
        and Editor, World Rivers Review
           International Rivers Network
              1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
                  Tel. (510) 848 1155   Fax (510) 848 1008
                        http://www.irn.org
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