Lighting Africa, IFC worldbank LED initiative

by SOLARLIFE | May 10, 2008 at 11:02 am | 636 views | 4 comments

Lighting Africa - World Bank & IFC - K_ Pearson - Freeplay

Solarlife reporting from
Accra, Ghana, video
La-Palm Royal Beach Hotel

More than 300 delegates from across the world are meeting in Accra today to brainstorm on the business opportunities for providing and expanding modern lighting services that are non-fuel based in Africa.

The event called “Lighting Africa” an initiative of the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) is geared towards mobilising the private sector to reach 250 million energy-poor customers by 2030 with low-cost, reliable, affordable lighting services as part of achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The World Bank Initiative
with it's finance arm IFC
brought together 40 Finalist
proposals "Lighting Africa"
15 projects found direct funding
up to $ 200 000. The historic
subject however was to jumpstart
low cost LED lighting $ 3-15
to avoid toxic "CO2" lanterns
burning $ 3-5 a month kerosine.
The advanced winner was HARVARD with
a microbial fuel cell in a
Beautycase, well the invention to
run LED lighting could be very
usefull during 3 months cloudy
rain season, solar 50% less.
I have been talking to FREEPLAY
winding radios, newcommer G24i
unbreakable low cost solar panels
5V USB, charging LI-Ion, one winner.
Agropark showcased the world's first
LED fuel cell Lantern running up to
3 months, 3 hours a day on replacable
cartridges medis inside, target price
10 Euros/ $15 at 1 million pcs

PEOPLE and Topics:

starting LED Lanterns
replacing Kerosine

starting rural basic
Lighting Electrification
Off-grid village grids
for homes and business

starting green economy
Ghana, Accra worldbank
IFC Lighting Africa
Finalist summit
may 6 - 8 2008

key speakers:

Mr. Russel Sturm
energy IFC

Cyrill Kattah, Accra
Program Mgr Lighting
Africa IFC

Dr. Anil Cabral, energy
The World Bank

Dr. Ashok Sarkar,
Carbon finance
The World Bank

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jordan

at 12:49 on May 10th, 2008

The beauty of a project like this is that it's infrastructure-light: nobody needs to lay thousands of miles of cable in order to supply electricity.

SOLARLIFE

at 13:26 on May 10th, 2008

Thanks Jordan, that was the point wireless lighting. Accra has a good electricity grid, however 15 miles away darkness and smoking kerosine lights. Many african entrepreneurs have been present, from night street vendors of $ 5 LED lanterns, to ready for production in Africa assembly lines. Thanks to the World Bank this time many NGOs had a chance for start-up capital . Talking to Mr.Russel, he explained to expect some breakthrough cooperations for Africa Lighting. However next steps are complete village lighting off-grid village grid systems for 500 homes and most important one hour TV to feel connected to the world or to know if there is a war, or what are the food prices. Internet DSL is finding it's way out of big cities by wimax solar streetlights. Accra is developping fast with people that are hungry for light and willing to take entrepreneur risks. $ 50 000 moves a lot, can mean a mini factory assembly line with service shop; the new way for creating customer confidence in Africa. Education "How to install a little solar panel right to the sun is necessary. Many lay the solar lanterns on the roof, if they would do it vertically it would fall down and on the floor is not to find a secure place. Well that's why we have been there to know more about solar lifestyle in developping marketplace Africa.

Peter_oyeti

at 14:05 on May 10th, 2008

good stuff:

SOLARLIFE, I like this story. It's good stuff.and do you know that africa has twice the amount of resources to power our continent? Its ironic and sad what bad leadership has achieved for us as a people.

SOLARLIFE

at 15:26 on May 10th, 2008

Thanks Peter Oyeti for your encouraging statement, I was surprised myself how fast Africa is developping now. We could mostly team up with our african partners for social and or business projects. Ghana has a relative stable environment, no war. Very friendly people made me dream again for a better life without western frustration. The Africans are just ready to produce their products, chinese become to expensive. Well in some countries the bad leadership, egocentric not thinking of the others, you are so right. I was travelling with a man from Togo living now in the US. He told me that he can not understand why many leaders in Africa can not change their habits for better government rules. In 5 years we will see Africa starting to develop fast like Brazil ten years ago. Internet caused a knoledge explosion in Africa leading to enormous potential. 2010 Africa leads with 800 million young dynamic people below the age of twenty. The challenge is to get the production and information highways running now as well as climate change adaptation for agriculture local family farms; well Bill Gates foundation could help out, but it's people like you, who help with their comments others to overcome the obstacles. Thanks for my friends in Togo, Ghana, Nigeria etc. they will like to find so much attention.