Oyo rural women make solar powered lamps

Semi literate rural women from Oyo State master a skill in four short weeks. Women trainees from four different local government areas (Iseyin, Oyo west, Itesiwaju and Kajola) came together to learn to build solar powered phone charging  lanterns.This empowerment program was a collaborative effort between Solar Jooce and British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF). Hertz rental (C&I leasing) provided crucial logistical support. The Solar Jooce/ACREST lantern was entirely designed and built in Nigeria in June 2012. The training was a Pan African effort, with participants from Nigeria, Kenya and Cameroun.

The idea behind empowering rural women through vocational skills training was threefold. Firstly to provide them with a substitute for expensive and unclean fossil fuelled lamps which they commonly use. Secondly to empower them to produce the technology they utilise. Thirdly to encourage rural women to start micro businesses that would form the building blocks of an energy corridor spanning from Ibadan in Oyo State, Nigeria to Abijan in Côte d'Ivoire.

Seun Alawode from Kajola, Oyo State crafting her Solar Jooce/ACREST lantern from a PVC pipe section

 Mr Hassan, a micro business owner in Lagos (approximately 350km from the Oyo women) uses a Solar Jooce/ACREST lantern to illuminate his kiosk and charge his phone.

Mr Hassan showing off his solar powered phone charging lantern in his kiosk.

Scaling up

Have not run a fossil fuelled generator in a year. Saved an estimated N30,000 a month and a whopping N360,000 (approx $2,250) over the past year in fuel costs. Will scale up with more panels and bigger battery bank for more Jooce.

Improvisation

 

Fabricating aluminium mounts for solar panels in June 2012. Panels were oriented northward with the aid of a compass.

Anniversary - 1 year without a generator!

 

Got rid of fossil fuelled generator one year ago. Utilised a solar home system (SHS) fed by 300 Watts (150 Watts x 2) in solar panels. Solar home system (SHS) supplies AC & DC power and still going strong.