Eradicating Energy Poverty in Haiti

When Madame Agathe woke up in the middle of the night feeling sick last month, she also felt a sense of relief.

To make an herbal tea - which would have taken her nearly an hour with her charcoal stove - she didn't need to go outside and light a fire. Madame Agathe went to her newly electric kitchen, boiled water, and 10 minutes later was sipping a soothing drink.

Madame Agathe is one of the participants in EarthSpark's electrification of cooking pilot program in Les Anglais. Through this project 29 households are now using electric pressure cookers and induction stoves to cook meals for over 120 people. Each of the households have participated in hands-on trainings with the devices. After one month of electric cooking, participants are excited about the benefits and opportunities of electric cooking:

• Participants are reporting significantly faster cooking times, opening up more time for other activities like education, work, and also simply for leisure.
• Participants are saving money on charcoal and happy with the convenience of being able to cook indoors
• Participants are enjoying cooking without the harmful smoke that normally comes with cooking with charcoal and wood in traditional stoves
• Participants are surprised and pleased that they are able to cook their same traditional meals effectively with the new electric technology.

EarthSpark and the study participants will track cooking trends and attitudes over the next few months. This will help create a strong evidence-base for expanding opportunities for clean electric cooking in other communities in Haiti and around the world. Keep an eye out for upcoming reports and mini-documentaries on our clean cooking work!

What was the last new technology that you adopted, and how has it changed your life? EarthSpark's president, Allison Archambault's recently posted TEDx talk about our work in Haiti and her own adventures in electric cooking remind us that from Marie Agathe's kitchen to our own, we're all part of the energy transition currently underway. Climate change and social justice are inextricably linked, and we can all push for progress in many ways, wherever we are.

Thank you, as always, for your kind support and engagement with EarthSpark. We couldn't do this work without you.

Sending warm wishes to you and yours,

Wendy and the rest of the EarthSpark team

Links:

• "Electric Everything" TEDx talk by EarthSpark's President

• Marie Agathe's Black Beans (PDF)
  

Dear Friends,

We’re halfway through 2020 and the energy, economic, and environmental impact of our grids now benefit 4000+ people directly and 8800+ indirectly. Here are some of EarthSpark’s key storylines.

Tiburon Continues to Grow

Even despite slowdowns because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our second microgrid has grown significantly and is now serving over 380 connections, including 46 streetlights in the town of Tiburon. Tiburon customers have even shown higher per capita consumption and higher per capita transactions compared to our first microgrid in Les Anglais. Over the next few years, the Tiburon microgrid is expected to serve over 500 households and businesses.

Feminist Electrification Wins!

EarthSpark's Feminist Electrification methodology added another award to its decorated history winning the Alliance for Rural Electrification's 2020 Award for "Best Female Empowerment Initiative". This framework underpins all of our work and ensures that everyone can benefit from our microgrids according to their unique needs.

Unlocking Clean Cooking

Almost every household in Haiti cooks with wood or charcoal. Breathing smoke from these fires is bad for people’s health, especially for the women and young children who are traditionally most exposed. Electric cooking can not only reduce health risks from traditional fuels, it can also save time for women and children which can be used for other jobs, education, or simply leisure. There are also real climate benefits from avoiding traditional fuels.

To demonstrate the potential of electric cooking in rural Haiti, EarthSpark is piloting electric pressure cookers and induction stoves with 30 customers. Coupled with in-person demonstrations from our grid ambassador, the households will record their reactions and opinions on electric cooking, and EarthSpark will analyze electricity consumption patterns to inform future electric cooking initiatives.

Protecting Our Team and Our Communities

Energy is essential, and as Haiti navigates COVID-19, the EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp teams are keeping the power on while adapting processes to keep our teams and customers safe. From fabricating face shields with materials on hand in Les Anglais to working with the local women’s cooperative to sew facemasks, EarthSpark has been adapting. This includes new handwashing stations, operating procedures for entering customer homes, and phone communications in place of in-person meetings. Progress has slowed on new connections and new grids, but we are working diligently to continue to serve our customers, while protecting our team and communities.

 Gratefully yours,

 Andy