Solar energy transforms rural Hoima communities

Light makes the difference in darkness. And the solar lanterns in the oil rich village in Hoima District have made the difference for the rural poor who forked out their hard-earned money to charge their phone and light their homes.

Christopher Opio has just completed his A-Level exams at Kings Comprehensive SS in Lira District. For the past few weeks, he has been waking up every morning to go and till his garden in Kyapoloni, Kiziranfumbi Sub county in Hoima District to get some money to earn a living. The 23-year-old, however, has had to spend his hard earned Shs500 on charging his phone in the nearby town. He also spends Shs1,700 on paraffin per week.

Like Opio, Teopista Tebenda, 37, who operates a restaurant in Kyapoloni town spends between Shs1,000 on paraffin and Shs1,500 on batteries for her radio per week.

Tebenda and Opio are among many of the village residents who have to buy paraffin to light lamps, and batteries for torches and radios. They also have to spend some money in order to charge their mobile phones, either daily or every after two days.

Even with the open Bujagali hydro power station and rural electrification projects, the least likely parts of the country to receive electricity connection are rural areas.

Kyapoloni village, like many villages in Uganda, is not connected to the national electricity grid. The main source of light for communities here at night is derived from burning paraffin (sometimes mixed with diesel) in lanterns. The lanterns emit polluted smoke which according to environmentalists presents a health hazard associated with respiratory disorders. A few members though, use solar lanterns. But the these are expensive and out of reach for the majority who cannot afford them.

The people in this place are mainly farmers. Others have small retail shops, bars and restaurants. With recent discoveries of oil wells and pronouncements of constructing an oil refinery in Kabaale Parish were Kyapoloni falls, the morale for farming has reduced, especially since a survey of their land was done.

The youths now wake up in the morning to gamble and take alcohol as they listen to music in Kyapoloni town.

This is why National Association for Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) decided to start a solar energy project in the area to give cheap solar equipment to light up homes, charge mobile phones and listen to information from radios.

The equipment that goes for about Shs360,000 on the market is offered at only Shs40,000, which is rendered as commitment fee to make the people accountable for the equipment they have got. The equipment includes a solar battery, a bamboo or wooden box or where a LED is fixed to light the area and solar panel.

Opio bought the equipment and says he is able to use his money for other things.

“I now save all the money for fuel and charging to buy sugar and other important things,” he says.

Geoffrey Warom, another resident, bought a commercial solar panel at Shs1.5m, which he uses to charge people’s phones at Kyapoloni village and make some money.

“It was working for me and when the project came on board, I had to join it to aid my fellow village mates get connected to the solar project and enjoy the benefits,” he said.

The six-month project is funded by International Rivers in the US to a tune of $7,000 (Shs18m).

“We use locally made products like wooden boxes and bamboos to enable them assemble and in future do it on their own,” Ms Betty Obbo, a researcher with, Nape, said.

Obbo says this is a consistent power source that never runs out, and users of solar energy do not have to worry about monthly bills.

“Solar panels are reliable, while the solar lamps being promoted are locally assembled and are cheaper than the imported lamps,” she said, adding, “The locally made lamps can be easily serviced and maintained by local community members once they are trained and solar is environmentally friendly, with no health impacts compared to fossil fuels which release greenhouses gases, carcinogens and carbon dioxide and increase climate change effects.”

Poor man’s power source
The researcher says most of Uganda’s current energy and electricity supply is generated from hydro, oil, and natural gas. These traditional energy sources, however, face a number of challenges including volatile prices, security concerns, and environmental impacts stemming from both the extraction and burning of fossil fuels.

Generating electricity through renewable energy sources, like solar, can help to reduce over dependence on fossil fuels as well as lower the amount of pollution associated with today’s largely fossil based power generation methods. For communities, solar energy option can facilitate development and improve livelihoods.

Kyapoloni communities have already identified four people (local artisans with electrical skills) from amongst themselves to be further trained in assembling and maintenance of the solar lamps. These four people will in turn train other community members in managing their own lamps and assist communities in case of any problem.

mssebuyira@ug.nationmedia.com