The Solar Energy Solidarity initiative, led by PROINSO, has delivered PV products to three new projects that will provide solar power to more than 5,000 residents in Candemba, Guinea Bissau, and Kumbo, Cameroon.

In Guinea Bissau, PROINSO gave modules and structures to install in a new Candemba-based kindergarten, where 550 people will get solar electricity. 'When the installation starts operating, 3- to 6-year-old children will be able to go to school. Also, they will take part in the UN World Food Programme, which provides a daily meal to children who attend school,' explained Solar Energy Solidarity Marketing Manager Teresa Marticorena.

Also, the opening of the kindergarten means that mothers can work in the fields without carrying their children on their backs and that elder brothers and sisters can go to school instead of staying home to take care of the little members of the family.

Also in Candemba, the structure and modules donated through the Solar Energy Solidarity move will help open a women's community radio, which is expected to improve the way of life of 550 people, who will thus have access to a better social and cultural experience.

Named Radio Woman and with a potential audience of 200,000, the new radio aims at empowering women, disseminating health, sanitary and nutrition information, and broadcasting adult literacy learning shows. The local coordinator of the project is ECAS-D.

The third project Solar Energy Solidarity is participating in is being developed with the cooperation of NGO Energy Without Borders. The modules, thermosiphon and collector donated by PROINSO will help supply power to a farm school in Kumbo, in north-western Cameroon.

The installation, which will use micro-hydraulic, solar and wind power, will supply electricity to more than 3,000 students who attend a farm school to learn sustainable endemic crop cultivation techniques.

'With electric power, the farm school will improve its operational capacity and educational quality. A reference learning centre in the area, the school will help modernise the local economy on the basis of agriculture and livestock breeding,' said PROINSO sources.

The Solar Energy Solidarity initiative led by PROINSO delivered 9.2kW in PV products to these three new projects that will benefit more than 5,000 residents in Candemba, Guinea Bissau, and Kumbo, Cameroon.

Nearly 25,000 people to benefit from all nine projects

Adding the three newest projects in the Solar Energy Solidarity initiative, nine have been developed so far, with an output of 30kW, bringing benefits to nearly 25,000 people in Peru, Togo, Benin, Thailand, Guinea Bissau and Cameroon.

These projects were carried out with NGOs, organisations, local governments and partners, with the aim of supplying energy to meet the power demands of underprivileged communities.

Apart from PROINSO, which heads the SOLAR ENERGY SOLIDARITY initiative, companies in the solar PV industry that participate in it are OPDE, MECASOLAR, INGETEAM, TRINA and SMA. All of them donated products that went to the projects developed so far. More companies are expected to join the initiative in 2014.