COSTA RICA SOLAR LIGHTING PROJECT
Location(s)
Talamanca region, Costa Rica
Project Funding Date(s)
June 2011
Total Funds Disbursed
$28,464
Total Beneficiaries
Approximately 200 people
Project Delivery Partner
Local Partner/Organization
Asociacion para la Ciencia y la Educacion Moral
Project Description
The Talamenca canton located in the south-east of Costa Rica hasthe lowest ranking HDI in the country. Candles are the primary source of lighting – the daily cost of candles is not cheap: the average candle lasts about 20 minutes and households may use as many as four candles per day, costing up to a dollar per day. This equates to spending 30% of household income on energy consumption. In addition to the cost, the quality of light from candles is poor, which makes reading or studying hard, and the smoke from the candle and the naked flame pose health and safety risks.
The two objectives of the LUTW project are to provide better study environments for children, and to decrease lighting costs so that families can save money. Under the project, families divert the money they would have spent on candles and kerosene toward repaying the cost of buying small-scale solar powered home lighting systems.
Nine Enbridge employees from across our company—including President & CEO Pat Daniel—traded in their day jobs to donate a week of their time and the cost of their travel to participate in the project delivery. Volunteers spent the first day learning about the local culture and customs, and visiting local homes to conduct impact assessments of previously installed solar lighting systems. The visits introduced them to the systems, and gave them the opportunity to learn about their benefits from members of the community.
Positive Impact
The funds provided were used to fund the purchase and installation of 40, 10-watt/12V, household solar PV systems. e4e funds also supported the costs involved with training 7 local technicians and 9 Enbridge employee volunteers, the project management and revisions to the system design.
