IDEAS Energy Contest: Innovative photovoltaic charging stations against poverty in El Salvador
- Aims
- To cut poverty and climate change in El Salvador by developing mobile charging technology for rural households.
- Region
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- Status
- Planning
- Summary
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The scheme, called ENFOCA, will see small photovoltaic charging stations distributed to some of the poorest people in the country, enabling them to power an LED lamp, mobile phone and a radio or small television. A million households in Central America currently have no access to electricity.
This project is one of the award-winning projects of the 2009 IDEAS Energy Innovation Contest for improving energy efficiency and expanding access to renewable energy. Sponsored by GTZ and GVEP-I.
- Full Description
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The pholotovoltaic charging stations project aims to provide small and mobile solar charging stations for rural households that are not connected to the national grid. The stations will enable each owner to charge a LED lamp, mobile phone and also operate a radio or small television.
The charging stations will be produced locally by individuals who have traditionally been isolated or excluded from society such as the homeless and disabled people.
This will be the first time that small scale photovoltaic charging stations are implemented within El Salvador.
In El Salvador there are more than one million households without electricity. The projects will benefit these households and businesses that did not previously have access to electricity as well as providing local employment. As use of the PV solar systems increases there will be less need for environmentally harmful products such as kerosene lamps and the use of expensive batteries can be avoided. It is anticipated that households will experience relief financially, after the 6-12 month payback period and that 30-50 disposable batteries and 250KG CO2 annually will be saved.
It is also predicted that market forces will drive the expansion and scale-up of this project. Partnerships will be created with mobile phone companies who are eager to expand their customer base.
Expansion of the PV charging systems will also be focused on cutting costs for those who are attached to grid electricity and entering the market in western countries by positioning the product as a tool to be used when undertaking activities such as camping.
About the project winner:
Innovative Photovoltaic Charging Stations Against Poverty in El Salvador (ENFOCA) is composed of Rainer Mutschler-Burghard an environmental engineer and Department of Electronics and Information from the Central American University (UCA). ENFOCA collaborate together to implement this project in rural areas of El Salvador where many people live below the internationally defined poverty line of 2US$ a day and have no access to modern forms of energy.
