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DAM-L solar article/Africa/Shell
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Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 09:25:25 -0700 (PDT)
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>>
>>SOUTH AFRICA: Solar power lights up lives
>>
>>
>>EASTERN CAPE, 20 August (IRIN) - At twilight in an isloated community near
>>Mount Ayliff in South Africa's Eastern Province,
>>Sipho, an eight year-old school boy, switched on a light and continued with
>>his homework. Although the house he lives in is 20 km from the nearest
>>electricity grid, power and light is being brought to homes like Sipho's by
>>an ambitious public/private partnership that aims to solar-electrify 50,000
>>households in this impoverished province.
>>
>>The biggest scheme of its kind in the world, the hardware consists of a 50
>>watt solar panel and a 12 volt battery which stores the energy generated.
>>The power it provides enables the user to run four lights, a television set
>>and portable radio. The unit can generate enough power on most days to
>>operate the lights for four hours, a portable black and white television for
>>the same period and a radio for 10 hours.
>>
>>"There's nothing new in the technolgy, but what we're doing is unique, we're
>>offering a complete solar utility service to isloated and scattered
>>communites," Elize Gothard of Shell Solar Southern Africa told IRIN. Shell
>>collaborated with national utility company Eskom to launch the project two
>>years ago. Solar energy has been used by development experts to try and
>>provide electricity to the rural poor, but more often than not these
>>projects failed because the equipment was left in a community with no one to
>>maintain it.
>>
>>The goal is to provide solar energy as a service rather than selling the
>>hardware, according to Gothard. "After paying a small installation fee, our
>>customers buy a token for R52 (US $6) a month," said Gothard. "Which is the
>>same price they spend on parrafin, candles and batteries." For the fee,
>>Eskom-Shell provides the maintenance and installation needed for the solar
>>energy system and will also train householders on the basics of how to use
>>it.
>>
>>Victoria Ntombekhaya runs a grocery shop from a converted bus just outside
>>Mount Ayliff. Her lighting and a pumping hi-fi system have proved a big
>>attraction to shoppers and her business has improved since she signed-up to
>>the scheme a year ago. "Hey, I feel great, part of today's world," she
>>shouted above the music. "You should see this place at the weekend." Other
>>local entrepreneurs have been quick to see the business potential of the
>>pioneering solar project. An inverter changes the 12 volt battery to 220
>>volt AC electricity, which allows the user to charge a cellular phone or use
>>hair clippers, sewing machines and computers.
>>
>>The domestic electrification programme is progressing rapidly. Already,
>>6,000 homes have been electrified, with a further 19,000 in the pipeline.
>>The infrastructure has been established, including a warehouse and head
>>office located in Port Shepstone. General Manager of Eskom-Shell Solar Home
>>Systems, Clive Horlock, told IRIN that the beauty of the project was that it
>>did not rely on development aid and that it was commercially viable. "We
>>hope to hit break-even at 25,000 subscribers, after that we envisage a
>>profit," he said.
>>
>>A recent survey of rural communities in South Africa concluded that a
>>government subsidy would allow thousands more homes to take advantage of
>>solar power. "Grid electricity is subsidised, so why should potential solar
>>power users be discriminated against?" Gothard said. The project is hopeful
>>that a povery subsidy would boost demand substantially. "Most people who see
>>what the system can do want it installed, but many simply cannot afford the
>>monthly fee," Horlock said.
>>
>>On a visit to some of the outlying areas that the project serves, Horlock
>>said that costs are kept to a minimum, but servicing scattered communities
>>is expensive. "Getting a new battery or panel down there is a nightmare,"
>>Horlock added, pointing to a collection of huts with solar panels pointing
>>skywards, kilometres away in a distant river valley.
>>
>>The ability of such schemes to finance themselves concerns some analysts.
>>"The people who need solar power are difficult to get to and widely
>>dispersed, you need more people to get to these spots, to service the
>>installation and collect fees, this decreases the financial viability,"
>>Madeleine Costanza of the International Institute for Energy Conservation
>>(IIEC) told IRIN. But she added that private/public partnerships could help
>>to address the issue of viability.
>>
>>Apart from bringing power and light to out of the way villages, the project
>>has other important spin-offs. It's creating sustainable employment in very
>>poor parts of the province. Apart from the solar panel, the rest of the
>>system is locally made. Local people have been trained to install and
>>maintain the equipment. These staff are also responsible for educating
>>users. "It's crucial ... we try and overcome their fear of the technology,"
>>one installer told IRIN. "I've seen people shaking with fear when they put
>>their first token in the machine."
>>
>>Solar power also frees people from the health and safety risks associated
>>with burning candles and paraffin, often in enclosed, poorly ventilated
>>rural homes. "My neighbour's child is scarred, badly, a candle fell on her
>>at night," said Anne Ntombelo as she poured a soft drink for a customer from
>>a container that doubles as a solar-powered bar on the dusty road to Bizana.
>>
>>Sunshine is also allowing rural children like Sipho more than just electric
>>light to do his homework by. Solar panels are providing power for computers
>>and internet connections in hundreds of schools far from the grid. At Myeka
>>Secondary School at Inanda in neighbouring KwaZulu Natal, three huge panels
>>provide enough electricity to run 10 computers. They also power a mobile
>>phone line that allows access to the internet. "It's revolutionised our
>>school without a doubt," principal Melusi Zwane told IRIN.
>>
>>Shell Renewables has also established businesses to supply renewable energy
>>to rural markets in India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Although Shell has
>>invested heavily in the Eastern Cape project, its for sound commercial
>>reasons. With a potential world market of up to two billion people, if the
>>Eskom-Shell scheme can work here, the model can be replicated almost
>>anywhere. The scheme being pioneered in South Africa shows that with
>>government support, solar power can bring important developmental benefits
>>to a world where electricity is still a distant dream.
>>
>>[ENDS]
>>
>>IRIN-SA - Tel: +27-11 880 4633
>>Fax: +27-11 447 5472
>>Email: irin-sa@irin.org.za
>>
>>
>>[This item is delivered in the "africa-english" service of the UN's IRIN
>>humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
>>of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
>>to change your keywords, contact e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org or Web:
>>http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
>>this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
>>sites requires written IRIN permission.]
>>
>>Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2001
>>
>>
>>Subscriber: banemnow@icbl.org
>>Keyword: IRIN-SA
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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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