grid, rural electrification, refrigeration,
water pumping, lighting, grinding, milling, hard
labor, debit cards, electricity meter, wind/solar
system
It certainly seems like a chicken and egg problem.
Yet rural electrification is spreading globally
in many forms. There are numerous examples of how
people find ways to afford the basic services of
refrigeration, water pumping and lighting
Case 1: The UNDP has developed a multipurpose machine
for grinding, power production, etc. — and
the women pay $0.25 to get their grain milled —
saving them three days of hard labor.
Case 2: in South Africa: Shell Solar has put in
6000 PV systems, where users buy time on a debit
card — which is inserted into the meter when
they want to use electricity. This system encourages
conservation within each home.
Case 3: In a Mexican village, a wealthy American
put in a wind/solar system for the village, trained
three locals for servicing the system — and
the villagers set up a payment agreement to cover
ongoing costs.
In essence, the new energy resource in a village
is often subsidized by a development organization,
bank, NGO, or the UNDP. Often, the villlage will
collectively pay and maintain the equipment, building
their rural economy and then expand electrical services
as the citizenship is able financially..
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