Solar Lights Can Light Up your Backyard--and an African Village

[Jason]

Solar lights for us in North America usually are great for lighting up the yard or providing illumination for a dinner party. A solar lamp post can provide a lot of light for your walkways or pathways. And solar lights can also provide the gift of light to those who don't have electricity-and we mean here not just a remote cabin, but an entire town. In rural Africa, according to the Sierra Club, 598 million Africans live off the grid. Many "still use kerosene lamps to light their homes, a practice that can consume up to 20 percent of each family's income and is harmful to both the environment and the health of the families." This news article describes some of the initiatives to provide as much as 20 percent of the world population, for whom a functioning, reliable light bulb is a godsend.

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[Shockah]

[PNjunction]

I've seen a few of these projects get funded. Some may want to know if the villagers themselves actually get to own the small panel / battery / bulb, or if they are funding a single entity who then has the people subscribe / rent / pay for the service.