Road to NanoGrid: Week 6 - The dark side of light

The other half of humanity cannot wait another century to access electricity: “Imagine life without electricity. With no lights, electric stove, or water pump, you must travel miles to fetch water and firewood, running a particular risk of attack if you are a girl or a woman. At home, you cook over a smoky stove or an open fire, raising your odds of getting lung and heart disease. If you are pregnant, you may die in the dark, giving birth at a clinic that lacks air conditioning and modern medical equipment. Without vaccines, which require refrigeration, your children remain vulnerable to deadly diseases. At night, they study by the light of a kerosene lamp, which causes burns when the fuel spills. Earning a living isn’t easy, either. No electricity means no sewing machines or rice mills, no pumps for irrigating crops, and no way to keep drinks cold or keep a store open at night. The lack of power keeps away bigger companies that might have hired you.”

What lengths would you take to protect your family’s comfort, security, economic opportunity, health and happiness? 

Over the next few weeks, we will address the complex problem of electrifying off-grid rural communities. Keep in mind off-grid rural communities do not only exist in developing countries; they include any community that does not have access to energy via traditional transmission and distribution lines such as Aboriginal communities, military bases, mining companies, and your uncle who decided to build a shack in a deserted forest. 

(Thanks Ron for this great title)