Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Zambia‚ rural electrification rate is only 4%. Due to a highly dispersed population, expansion of the national grid to rural areas is neither economically or technically feasible in the short-to-mid-term. Thus, households will rely on Solar Home Systems. However, as a result of lack of maintenance or after-sales service, as well as harsh operating conditions, these systems often have high failure rates. In Kenya, nearly one fifth of solar products are reported to stop working within 18 months. In order to scale decentralised renewable energy we must also develop a skilled and engaged workforce to support this new sector.

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Addressing gender equality 

By offering remote electronics training compared to on-site electronics training, we believe that access to electronics training for girls and women, particularly in rural regions, will be significantly improved. Women bear the majority of household and childcare responsibilities in Zambia and are thus (we assume) much more able to engage with remote training than to travel to the capital or urban centres for intensive on-site training. 

Led by Zambian project partner, Sithembile Ncube (Director of MakerHut Technologies, Obama Foundation Leaders: Africa 2019), we will capture user stories from this project to create and champion female role models in Zambia. Our team includes a design anthropologist with experience working with marginalised groups. We will link to gender equality work by National Institutions in Zambia and mobile phone service providers. 

Economic benefits 

Improved access to reliable solar power reduces household lighting costs from 6% to 2% of household income, saving 60 USD a year, for an estimated 150 households in this project. Based on 15% of households switching from kerosene to solar home systems, including households recommissioning existing systems. 

We are also addressing a key skills gap for Zambian energy industry.

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