By LeRoy Boikai | President/CEO
Lighting homes with kerosene and flashlights is the largest single expense for villagers in rural Liberia, and the smartest way to control that expense is to stop buying kerosene and batteries. So, Village Improvement Project's new goal is to send 100 home solar kits to help provide years of zero-cost clean renewable energy to families in rural Liberia where children can have bright and safe lighting to study at night and families can extend their activities into the night.
The shift from solar lanterns to solar home kits which are more expensive per unit comes from our monitoring visits and observations about how the solar lanterns are being used by villagers in Liberia. Over the years, individual users of the portable lanterns have not handled well the cable wire connected to the solar panel that charges the lantern. The wire breaks off due to the frequency of charging required to maintain power in the light. Due to the remoteness of some towns and villages, some users are unable to repair the cable and the lithium battery goes dead after a prolonged period without charge.
With a home solar kit, the panel is installed on the roof and permanently connected to the control box or hub which prevents wear-and-tear.
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