Two years ago, the city got electricity, the day ended when the sun went down. Villagers in Lynedeha, on the island of Sumba, in eastern Indonesia, set aside the carpets they weave or the coffee they pick to sell at the market as the light fades.
The few households that could afford it turned on noisy generators that roared through the night and billowed smoke. Some people install bulbs on old car batteries that quickly discharge or burn out the appliances because they don't have a regulator. Children sometimes studied with homemade lamps, but they sometimes burned houses when the wind blew.
That all changed when grassroots social enterprise projects brought small, individual solar systems to towns like Lindeja and others across the island.
For Jawa, this means much-needed additional income. When her husband died of a stroke in December 2022, Java didn't know how she would pay for her children's education. But when a little later the neighbor got electric light, he found that he could weave cloth for the market until evening.
"It used to be dark at night, but now it's light until morning," said the 30-year-old mother of two, carefully laying out and pushing the red threads on the machine. "So tonight I'm working...to pay for the kids."
Around the world, hundreds of millions of people live in communities without regular access to electricity, and these off-grid solar systems provide limited access to electricity in places like in the years before the grid caught up.
According to the International Energy Agency, in 2022, about 775 million people worldwide did not have access to electricity. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are home to some of the largest populations without access to electricity. Lack of electricity at home is keeping people in poverty, the United Nations and the World Bank said in a report for 2021. According to the report, access to electricity is difficult for the poorest and even more difficult for those without. Modern economy.
According to the World Bank, Indonesia has provided electricity to millions of people in recent years, increasing coverage from 85% to nearly 97% between 2005 and 2020. But in Indonesia, there are still more than half a million people living in areas where the grid does not reach.
Although hurdles remain, experts say the islands' stand-alone solar power programs could be replicated across the vast archipelago, bringing renewable energy to remote communities.
"Off-grid solar plays an important role in bringing clean electricity directly to the unelectrified," said Daniel Kurniawan, solar policy analyst at the Institute for Utility Reform.
Now, villagers often gather at night to continue the day's work, gather to watch TV shows on cell phones that charge from the panel, and help children do their homework with enough light to read.
"I really couldn't study the day before," said Antonius Pekambani, a 17-year-old student from Ndapaimi village, east of Sumba. - But now I can.
Solar energy is still rare in Indonesia. Although the country has targeted more solar power as part of its climate goals, progress has been limited by rules that prevent households from selling electricity to the grid, eliminating a cost-cutting mechanism that helped people afford solar. . in other parts of the world.
This is where grassroots organizations like Sumba Sustainable Solutions, based in East Sumba since 2019, have seen the potential to help.
Working with international donors to help subsidize costs, it offers imported solar home systems that can charge light bulbs and cellphones for monthly payments of $3.50 over three years.
The company offers solar-powered equipment, such as cordless lights and grinders. He said he has distributed more than 3,020 solar lighting systems and 62 wind turbines across the island, covering more than 3,000 homes.
Imelda Pindi Mbitu, a mother of five who lives in Walatunga, said she spent days grinding maize and coffee beans between two stones to sell at the local market; Now he takes her to a remote solar wind farm in the city.
"With hand sanding, if I start in the morning, I can't finish it by noon. I can't do anything else," he explains, sitting in his log cabin. car, it's faster." So now I can do something else."
Similar programs in other countries, including Bangladesh and sub-Saharan Africa, have helped provide electricity to millions of people, according to the World Bank.
But some small stand-alone solar systems like this one don't provide the same amount of power as grid access. While cell phones, light bulbs, and wind turbines charge, the systems do not generate enough power for a large public address system or church.
Off-grid solar projects also face obstacles, says J. T. Orlando, Engineer, Sumba Sustainable Solutions.
The organization's program relies heavily on donors to subsidize the cost of solar equipment, which many rural residents cannot afford at market prices. Villagers without standalone solar panels are stuck on waiting lists as Sumba Sustainable Solutions seeks additional funding. They are counting on support from Indonesia's $20 billion Unique Energy Transition Partnership Agreement, which is being negotiated by many developed countries and international financial institutions.
There are also issues of default beneficiaries, especially when the island faces a plague of locusts that destroys the villagers' crops and livelihoods. And when solar systems fail, they need imported parts, which are hard to find.
But now villagers like Java say the solar system is of great importance.
"I am grateful for this lamp," she said, pointing to the lamp that hung above the loom. - It will shine all night.
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage is supported by several private foundations. Learn more about PA's climate initiatives here. AP is solely responsible for all content.
