1. Solar village in Africa: REMA
5.000 people take part!
It all started with a refusal: the inhabitants of Rema rejected the offer for a diesel generator. They said NO to a technology that only provides them with unreliable electricity. Which is expensive, noisy and smelly. "We want solar light" was the clear statement of the village community. Rema became a partner village for the Stiftung Solarenergie - Solar Energy Foundation and is developing since then into the solar experience and development center in Ethiopia.
The first 1100 solar systems were installed by the Stiftung Solarenergie - Solar Energy Foundation free of charge. However, the costs for maintenance and repair are beared by the people. If you ask the people of Rema, if they want to be connected to the network, the first poles are already in the area, then you hear quickly the same answers as in 2005: No: too expensive, too unreliable. They have now experience with the solar lighting. The local Solar Center is a reliable partner. The International Solar Energy School in the village has made Rema known. The villagers are proud of showing the many citizens that there is another and better way.
More and more solar solutions are tested on site. A solar water pump brings the water from the valley to the high plateau. A solar water disinfection system purify the water to a healthy aliment. Refrigerators cool the drinks in the new bars and meeting places. Currently, preparations for solar street lights are underway
All this would not be possible without the active participation of the people of Rema. The people of Rema are the content and expression of the work for a solar future in Ethiopia.
The first 1100 solar systems were installed by the Stiftung Solarenergie - Solar Energy Foundation free of charge. However, the costs for maintenance and repair are beared by the people. If you ask the people of Rema, if they want to be connected to the network, the first poles are already in the area, then you hear quickly the same answers as in 2005: No: too expensive, too unreliable. They have now experience with the solar lighting. The local Solar Center is a reliable partner. The International Solar Energy School in the village has made Rema known. The villagers are proud of showing the many citizens that there is another and better way.
More and more solar solutions are tested on site. A solar water pump brings the water from the valley to the high plateau. A solar water disinfection system purify the water to a healthy aliment. Refrigerators cool the drinks in the new bars and meeting places. Currently, preparations for solar street lights are underway
All this would not be possible without the active participation of the people of Rema. The people of Rema are the content and expression of the work for a solar future in Ethiopia.
