- Title: Remote Togo village transformed by solar power
- Date: 20th May 2019
- Summary: SIKPE-AFIDEGNON, TOGO (RECENT) (REUTERS) TOP VIEW OF THE VILLAGE WOMAN FROM THE VILLAGE WITH BUCKET ON HER HEAD GOING TO WATER TOWER THAT IS NOW POWERED WITH SOLAR ENERGY FROM THE BBOXX GRID WATER POURING IN THE BUCKET (SOUNDBITE) (Ewè) ABLA OGODO, RESIDENT WHO WORKS ON A FARM AND USES WATER FOR BOTH THE FIELD AND HER HOME, SAYING: "We now have electricity to supply the pump. Before, getting water was a real chore. We would spend the whole day just collecting water. Now we have water whenever we want. We are free now." PEOPLE GETTING WATER AT THE SOLAR POWERED WATER TOWER WITH SOLAR PANEL ON THE TOP OF A POLE ON THE LEFT ABLA OGODO AND ANOTHER VILLAGER WALKING BACK WITH WATER ON TOP OF HER HEAD CHATTING ESSI DOMEZE, MILLER, WITH A SOLAR POWERED MILLING MACHINE DOMEZE'S FACE FLOUR COMING OUT OF THE MACHINE MOTOR WHICH IS POWERED BY SOLAR ENERGY MILLER WORKING WITH DOMEZE FLOUR IN THE MILLING MACHINE DOMEZE WITH THE MILLING MACHINE MAKING FLOUR (SOUNDBITE) (Ewè) ESSI DOMEZE, MILLER, SAYING: "We are living through great changes in the village since BBOXX set up the solar energy system. We used to have a lot of problems with the old village mill. It didn't work very well and we needed to mill the corn three or four times before getting good quality flour. With BBOXX everything is easy and now milling corn is no longer a chore."
- Embargoed: 3rd June 2019 12:48
- Keywords: power EDF bboxx electricity village water solar power
- Location: SIKPE-AFIDEGNON AND LOME, TOGO
- City: SIKPE-AFIDEGNON AND LOME, TOGO
- Country: Togo
- Topics: Science
- Reuters ID: LVA001AFPEQTZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Abla Ogodo used to walk 10 kilometers to fetch water for her family. Now that a new well in her own village runs on solar power, she does not have to go anywhere.
A UK-based power company called BBOXX, in partnership with France's EDF Group, has launched a program to power the entire village of Sikpe-Afidegnon with energy from the sun.
It runs streetlights, houses, schools and shops, transforming this remote maze of red dirt streets in southern Togo whose only previous access to electricity was from noisy generators that ran on expensive and polluting fuel oil.
"We now have electricity to supply the pump. Before, getting water was a real chore. We would spend the whole day just collecting water. Now we have water whenever we want. We are free now."
About 1.2 billion people worldwide have no access to the power grid, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), limiting economic development. Many governments in the developing world are extending access to national networks, but Africa is lagging, with less than 40 percent of households connected, IEA figures show.
In West Africa, tens of millions of people lack reliable access to electricity. For companies developing off-grid programs, that represents an untapped market worth billions of dollars.
Sikpe-Afidegnon is the first Togolese village to benefit from BBOXX's new off-grid system, which the company hopes to expand across Togo. For now the power is free, but residents will have to start paying market rates in a few months.
"Life changed in the village," said tailor Beaugar Mebouto as he sewed a piece of colourful fabric in a small workshop. Productivity and revenues have increased now that he doesn't have to rely on a generator.
"Now we have electricity at any time of the day," he said.
Lare Santiegou, director general of BBOXX Togo says contributing to improve people's lives around the country is good but it is important to do it using clean energy. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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