Solar Panels in Africa

Solar Panels in Africa
         
      By: Claire Breashears

 It's extremely apparent that fossil fuels will not be able to sustain humans forever, and also the negative effects they have had on the earth that have directly impacted human life are something we need to become more aware of and make effective changes to. When we discuss renewable energy, one of the most important to note is solar powered energy.

Large parts of Africa are still without any electricity, meaning that while some of us are concerned with how much fuel we are consuming, there are many others around the world that still don't have the same basic needs that we do, and solar energy can fix this problem. One example of this is the country Uganda who's 70 % of the population still doesn't have any electricity.

The UK government is on the forefront of energy transformation to provide those who are less privileged with access to clean energy. What the UK government decided to do about the lack of clean energy in Uganda is work with the United Nations and assist the Uganda Solar Energy Association or USEA. They created the UNCDF CleanStart program which invests with other financial institutions in distributing energy service companies and other providers of wholesale or retail financing for clean energy.


How can these solar powered systems change the lives of those that had once lived without? This would allow children to be able to study and read when it gets dark out, allow families to charge their phones, and even allow a family to have a fridge. All basic needs that we take for granted. How can we help is the question we must ask ourselves. There are many websites that you can donate to that provide these services for individuals such as websites like solar aid.    


References:

https://www.cnbcafrica.com/apo/2018/02/19/united-kingdom-to-support-solar-energy-industry-in-uganda/

https://www.pv-tech.org/news/uk-government-partners-un-on-distributed-solar-access-in-uganda

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/dec/15/invest-solar-energy-energise-frica

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