Afromusing

Use of Solar Vs Kerosene in cameroon

This is an article from Cameroon by Sylvestre Tetchiada, reporting on solar energy use for rural electrification. Interesting stats. Not entirely clear on whether actual use of solar has ‘muscled’ out kerosene, 60% of the 17 million population still use kerosene, what percentage or what stats point to the ‘muscling’ out of kerosene by Solar any increase in the last couple of years? If so by how much? I do realize that getting specific data on stuff like this can be problematic, so please pardon my ‘reading between the lines’. It is still a very good article, it points to the benefits of solar vs kerosene use – No smoke in the eyes of teachers grading papers at night, better quality of life, and the myriad uses of solar. Good stuff. The other good thing pointed out in the piece is the transfer of knowledge from the notable Barefoot College in India. This is the classic ’showing someone how to fish’ rather than giving someone the fish which they will eat for a day. It is also an example of good use of aid money from UNDP – the training and involvement of women in this program.

Solar power is not without its own costs. “In our country, you need on average 500 to 1,000 dollars to equip a home (with solar electricity systems), and most do not have the money,” Yves Ngouala, an economist based in Yaoundé, told IPS.

But, this hasn’t stopped the Association for the Support and Assistance of Women (Association pour l’appui et le soutien à la femme, ASAFE), an NGO based in the economic hub of Douala, from sending four women to India for six months’ training in solar power technology.

The women were briefed at the Barefoot College, an organisation founded in 1972 to equip rural people with various skills, which has branched out across India.

“The women we sent to train in the technique of solar powerâ?¦will return to electrify 100 houses each in their respective villages, where inhabitants made use of kerosene and wood for cooking and heating until now,” says ASAFE President Gisèle Ytamben.

It will be interesting to find out how the program goes. Obviously i am biased here but you know if women are involved…It will surely be something successful.

The Cameroon government has some catching up to do, by eliminating import duties on solar panels just like Kenya did June last year.
Thank you Whis for sending me the story.

Posted in: Africa, Economics, Solar, Women

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 8th, 2007 at 1:26 am and is filed under Africa, Economics, Solar, Women. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.