December 2009 Archives

The first ever Zambian solar installation training course took place at the Pumulani Renewable Energy Centre today. This is fantastic news and we thank founders Laureijs and Gerda Smulders for putting this dream in motion as a private venture many years ago.

Laureis Smulders training Installers at the Pumulani Renewable Energy Centre.

SolarAid will be training up to 12 Installers in the coming months, providing extra support to the existing Macro Solar systems and meeting the demands of hard-to-reach rural areas.

SolarAid Zambia has identified 12 new locations and plans to install 30 systems by the end of May. This will bring the total number of installations to 46. Present funding will allow us to install 76 installations by mid 2011. However, with the revolution in LED technology we hope to install an even greater number!

Please support us today as we strive to establish solar power throughout Zambia.

During my extended trip visting our programmes, I spent 5 days in Zambia where, apart from tasting local delicacies like Billtong (something a little like beef jerky), much has been happening.

We've luckily acquired a number of solar panels which are looking for worthy homes, so we are scouting in Eastern and Northern Zambia for new school sites. And because we are ambitious here at SolarAid, our goal is to have completed nine installations by the end of the year!

The photo below shows one of the schools where we hope to install solar. This is Chamandala Basic School in the Chadiza district.

The other evening we carried our dinner in the back of the car. The cockerel was flapping around in the back of the car, making the thought of eating it a little less inviting, but we were extremely grateful for this wholesome meal nonetheless.

Hopefully some more updates soon from Zambia.