By Madie Sturgess | Project Manager
When we think about electricity we don’t often think about how culture impacts the way we use electricity. In the United Kingdom, when a popular TV show switches to commercials or a soccer match breaks at half time, millions of kettles are switched on at once, causing widespread blackouts over the years. When viewed this way, British tea culture is a quaint threat to stable electricity in the UK.
Although Tiburon is an electricity grid of much smaller reach, the need to understand and account for a culture’s use of electricity is paramount. That’s why our team conducts detailed surveys in each community where we plan a grid to know how to design the system, to their needs. Recently our tireless EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp teams finished surveying the Tiburon community only to discover people prioritised buying and using an iron higher on their list than many other essentials we came to expect in Les Anglais. When we dug a little deeper people replied incredulously, “We have church on Sundays!”
This is where our deeply knowledgeable field team steps in to design a grid that makes sure our customers look their Sunday best, and even provides entrepreneurial opportunity for locals to start their own ironing service.
Following in Les Anglais’ footsteps, we have established the Tiburon Energy Committee. Comprised of 10 members, each representing demographics across, age, gender, industry, religion, and socio-economic status, our new committee is a poised to uphold an ongoing representation of the community’s electrification needs.
Electrification in underserved communities is culturally significant, impacting every corner of people’s lives. That’s why EarthSpark is committed to working with communities to define and provide respectful, thoughtful, high-quality access to a life changing technology. And it is with thanks to supporters like you that we’ve been able to do exactly that for the people of Les Anglais and - very soon - Tiburon.
Warmly,
Madie and the EarthSpark team.
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