Home East Africa Off-Grid Solar is driving change in East Africa – report

Off-Grid Solar is driving change in East Africa – report

by Brian Yatich

People living with off-grid solar home systems have reported improvements to their quality of life. This is according to a new report from GOGLA, the global association for the off-grid solar energy industry.

According to the report, households using small scale-solar power in East Africa have been found to generate more income, have better health, study more and have a higher quality of life than before living with the clean, renewable energy technology. The report cited 94 per cent reported that their quality of life improved as they feel healthier (89 per cent), safer (91 per cent) or because their children have more time to study (86 per cent).

The new findings dubbed ‘Powering Opportunity in East Africa: Proving Off-Grid Solar is a Power Tool for Change’,  was funded by UK aid from the UK government and conducted by Altai Consulting and is based on data collected from 1,419 small-scale solar home system owners in Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda who purchased their system in the second half of 2017.

With over 30 million people now living with off-grid solar in East Africa, the research was conducted to further understand the benefits of living with this power tool of change.

Off-grid solar is also enabling a third of households to be more economically active, extending business opening hours, giving customers more time for economic activity and helping rural East Africans start new business activities.

28 per cent of household’s report generating an additional income of $46 a month on average, the equivalent of 14 per cent of the monthly gross national income of the households in the countries studied.

Overall, the additional work has undertaken thanks to off-grid solar is the equivalent of two FTE (full-time-equivalent) jobs for every ten solar home systems sold, contributing to improved income prospects and a better quality of life for the informal workforce, especially in rural areas.

Patrick Tonui, GOGLA’s East Africa Representative said governments, businesses and investors across the region have played a critical role in ensuring that today more off-grid communities are now living with clean, affordable energy than any time in history.

“Predominantly used by low-income households, off-grid solar is genuinely proving a power tool for change and enabling people to build better lives and livelihoods. Governments integrating off-grid solar into their energy plans, removing tax and other barriers to uptake are truly improving the lives of their citizens in more ways than one. In fact, we’re seeing off-grid solar tackle ten of the world’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with its lasting impact to the economy, society and environment, ” he notes.

Solar based systems, says the research, are mainly used by low-income households. The report shows that a significant 59 per cent of households that purchased them declared they were living on less than $3.20 per day and 81 per cent on less than $5.50 per day.

Of those surveyed, 94 per cent feel their quality of life improved since they purchased the solar system, while 95 per cent of customers say they would recommend their product to a friend or relative. In addition, 89 per cent indicate they feel healthier as harmful kerosene lamps are no longer in use, and 86 per cent report their school-going children have more time to study.

But, while most countries in East Africa have integrated off-grid solar in their electrification planning to ensure universal energy access, there are still many barriers to mainstreaming this technology in rural East Africa; making clean affordable energy access for all by 2030 unlikely.

To mainstream off-grid solar, GOGLA is recommending that Governments in East Africa follow the lead of Kenya, where uptake is high with at least 12 million people currently using off-grid solar solutions, and remove import duties and other taxes whilst enforcing quality standards to ensure customers have access to affordable, high-quality products.

Globally, more than 250 million people have benefitted from off-grid solar, but just under 850 million remain locked into poverty without access to electricity. Political leaders have committed to ensure no one is living without access to electricity by 2030, a core SDG.

The full report can be accessed here: Gogla Report 

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