Yahoo Finance - This solar breakthrough could make you forget about oil

http://yhoo.it/1mKg2Yj

"For several decades, clean technology supporters have waited for the day when solar power truly achieved "grid parity." 

Everyone understood that this promising renewable form of energy needed to eventually compete with nuclear, oil, coal and gas -- without any government subsidies.

Much faster than anyone expected, we're almost there".

By dsterman May 30, 2014 

 

Much of sub-Saharan Africa is well positioned to leap frog past grid based power and should adopt off-grid renewable sources.  D. C Agbakoba. May 2, 2014                          

 

Life line - Safety, security and a window to the outside world

Our young women and girls desperately need a life line: http://aje.me/1kcoYID

2 years on...solar light built by Nigerian women still shines bright

It's been 8 months since Solar Jooce last saw Mr. Hassan, the micro business owner. Happy to note that his kiosk is still lit up by his phone charging solar lantern. The lantern appears well worn but still fully functional. This is remarkable considering his lamp was built almost 2 years ago by rural women in Oyo State. No parts changed, all LEDs burning bright and hand soldered parts still intact. Truly rugged piece of equipment.

Word of Mr. Hassan's solar powered lamp crossed the border to the republic of Niger. A herdsman visiting Lagos from Niger republic stopped by Mr. Hassan's to enquire about a larger solar powered unit with more lighting points and a table fan. Solar Jooce was contacted and was able to find a perfect fit for the herdsman. A more powerful yet portable solar home system (SHS), which includes a 12volt, 20Ah unit, with 2 separate LED lamps and a 20 watt panel was supplied. This SHS has the additional capability of running a laptop for field crews and weighs less than 10 Kilograms making it easy to travel with.

 

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.