Document Keyword: solar power

“Kopernik connected 200 d.light S250 solar lanterns with families in Biqueli village on Atauro Island, Timor Leste, in partnership with Move Forward (MF), a local NGO. Three out of four sub-villages in Biqueli have no access to electricity. These off-grid communities rely on kerosene lamps, flashlights, and candles at night. In the sub-village where electricity is available, access is limited to six hours per day and blackouts are frequent.

Kopernik first brought solar lights to Atauro in 2011, working with a local partner Roman Luan. The second solar light project on the island was in response to strong demand for more of this technology.

MF distributed 200 units of the d.light in July 2012. Demand exceeded supply, so the village leaders compiled a list of interested customers and prioritised families who had no access to electricity or solar lighting. The lights were sold at the same subsidised price as the first solar light project in 2011 and all customers paid in a single transaction.”

“We connected 408 d.light solar lights with some of the poorest communities in Oriental Mindoro, in the rural Philippines, working with our local partner, the Gelacio I. Yason Foundation Family Farm School Inc (GIYF-FFS). In this region, 80 percent of households have no access to electricity. These off-grid communities are keen to switch from kerosene and candles to a brighter, cheaper, and cleaner light source. In towns the electricity supply is expensive and unreliable, further driving demand for solar lights.

GIYF-FFS received the solar lights in March and April 2012, and sold them through their office, sales agents, product stalls, and during regular family visits. Customers were given the option to pay in installments, but all opted to pay in full at the time of purchase. GIYF-FFS staff who bought solar lights could elect to deduct installments from their salary.

Emily McQualter, a Kopernik fellow conducted an impact assessment of this project. She worked with GIYF-FFS to survey solar light users over one week in June 2012. At that time, 165 d.light solar lights had been sold. Of the 82 people surveyed, 25 lived in off-grid households.”

“The Light Up Sulawesi impact assessment was conducted by Kopernik fellow, Syarifah Amelia, between June and August 2015. This project distributed 50 d.light S300 solar lights in Soppeng district, South Sulawesi from October 2013 to October 2014 in partnership with Asosiasi Pedagang Kaki Lima Indonesia (APKLI). The project originally aimed to target people in villages who had no access to electricity. However, during the impact assessment it was discovered that the targeted villages had gained access to electricity during the crowdfunding and technology procurement process. Therefore, in the end, the distribution plan had to be adjusted accordingly.”

“This impact assessment of d.light solar lights was conducted in Oecusse enclave, Timor-Leste, from May to July 2013. It has been found that the distribution of d.lights in off-the-grid villages in what is Timor-Leste’s poorest and most isolated district is an extremely worthwhile initiative. D.lights offer many immediate benefits in terms of light quality, thus enhancing the activities that take place under them, including work in the home, agricultural labor in the fields, foraging on the tidal flats, and running businesses from home. They also usher in a series of positive flow-on effects resulting primarily from considerable savings due to reduction or elimination of kerosene purchases, savings that range from 15 percent to 50 percent of disposable income. Despite some concerns about d.light battery life and reparability, these are relatively minor in the mind of those that own d.lights. Local users clearly recognise the superiority of d.lights over the existing lighting configuration of kerosene lamps, torches and candles, hence they are highly coveted. Supply has not been able to keep pace with demand, therefore an intensified distribution of d.lights for the district is recommended.”

“Kopernik, in partnership with Fundasaun Esperanza Enclave Oecusse (FEEO) made 2,339 more solar lights available in Oecusse in the third phase of the Light Up Oecusse project, 1,316 d.light S250 and 1,023 d.light S10 solar lanterns. Kopernik also teamed up with d.light to design and conduct a training workshop for all FEEO staff members to master maintenance and repair skills for d.light products.

Kopernik Fellow Fita Arief went to Oecusse in early 2012 to monitor the project’s progress and conduct impact surveys.

Oecusse is an isolated enclave on the north coast of Timor, bordered by the Indonesian territory of West Timor. Approximately 45 percent of Oecusse’s population of 64,000 live below the poverty line. Almost every household in the enclave reports that there is at least one month each year when they do not have enough food to eat.

Lighting in Oecusse is a pressing problem. Very few people have access to electricity. At the time Kopernik launched the Light Up Oecusse project, 92 percent of households relied on fuel-powered kerosene or gas lamps for light because there was no other option. Aside from the negative health effects of kerosene smoke, the cost of kerosene in Timor-Leste’s rural areas is almost double the cost in urban areas, further marginalizing the most vulnerable communities.”

“Kopernik sent 992 d.light solar lights to Oecusse, Timor-Leste and worked with its local partner, Fundasaun Esperanza Enclave Oecusse (FEEO) to ensure these solar lights reached remote villages in the enclave.

Kopernik Fellow Michael Woon (October 2010 – January 2011) designed a baseline lighting survey, and worked with the FEEO team to implement it. Sally Bolton (January – June 2011) took over the baseline survey from Michael, and worked with FEEO to complete a follow-up survey.

Oecusse is an isolated enclave on the north coast of Timor bordered by the Indonesian territory of West Timor. Very few people in Oecusse have access to electricity and 92 percent of households rely on fuel-powered lamps (mainly kerosene) for light. FEEO staff conducted baseline surveys with 258 people who purchased solar lights. Follow up surveys were conducted with 55 people who had participated in the baseline survey. Typically surveys were conducted after people had been using solar lights for between two and four and a half months.”

“Since November 2014, Kopernik in partnership with Community Development Centre (CDC), has delivered over 200 d.light solar lights to last mile communities in rural India as a part of the Light Up Madhya Pradesh project. This project is ongoing and will distribute a further 100 solar lights to households, making a total of 306 solar lights at the project’s completion.

In June 2015, Kopernik Fellow, Philip Murphy conducted an impact assessment with the primary objective of identifying and measuring the effects of solar lights on the lives of people located in the last mile. This assessment involved interviewing 50 solar light users (25 percent of the total user population) and working directly with the local partner, CDC, to collect data.”

“Kopernik distributed 205 d.light S250 solar lanterns in Kenya’s Western Province in 2012 through a partnership with Action for Child Development Trust (ACDT). Kakamega and Busia counties encompass towns connected to an electricity grid and rural areas without access to electricity. There is a strong demand for solar lanterns in towns, where the electricity supply is unreliable, and villages, where people want to switch from kerosene to a brighter, cheaper and cleaner light source.

This impact assessment was conducted over three weeks in April and May 2013. Aided by ACDT, the information was collected from (i) 30 face-to-face interviews, (ii) field observations, and (iii) immersion in the local environment.

ACDT used its connections with local schools to market the solar lanterns. The lights were sold to individuals, community groups and one school on a first come, first served basis. Individuals paid a subsidised price in a one-off payment, while community groups paid market price and resold the lanterns offering payment in instalments.”

“Kopernik made 204 d.light S250 solar lights available to communities in remote parts of Atauro Island, Timor-Leste. Kopernik Fellow, Rob Weiss conducted a 3-week assessment of d.light solar light distribution by local partner Roman Luan. Rob, with the assistance of bilingual (English-Tetum) Roman Luan staff, took a ‘cluster sampling’ approach and conducted 33 interviews with people from 3 random villages, Makili, Beloi and Makedadi.”