Solar-powered homes initiative wins UN Climate Solutions Award

PARIS, France – After graduating from college, Jean Paul Ibambe of Rwanda was having a hard time looking for a gift for his beloved grandmother.

“When I was 10, my parents died, so my grandmother had to raise me and my two sisters,” said Ibambe.

Ibambe recounted that his grandmother took care of their every need, including paying for their school fees.

“I thought about what can I do for someone who made me who I am,” he lamented.

He saw the Mobisol system and inquired about the details, how it works and how to pay for it.

Mobisol system is a prepaid energy system composed of a solar panel, battery and a charging dock. Its smallest unit can light up a home with seven LED bulbs, power a radio, charge multiple mobile phones, and run a television for a few hours.

It is currently available in Tanzania and Rwanda, where small diesel generators are the main power source of rural areas.

Another feature of this product is that it could be paid on installment basis of up to 36 months. Owners of each unit could also opt to earn from it by opening up small charging stations in their homes.

Ibambe bought a unit on May 2015 and said it has changed his 74-year-old grandmother’s life a lot.

“Now my grandmother doesn’t only have power in her home, she also earns about $1 per day from it,” Ibambe happily said.

Mobisol is one of 16 recipient of the 2015 United Nations Climate Solutions Awards. Other winning initiatives from across the globe include Lifelink Water Solutions for Kenya and Uganda, where they use ICT tools to provide safe, sustainable, and affordable water; Fairphone of The Netherlands.

The Momentum for Change initiative is led by the UN Climate Change secretariat as part of wider efforts to mobilize action and ambition as national governments work toward adopting a new universal climate agreement in Paris.

This initiative was implemented with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Rockerfeller Foundation. It operates in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Global Sustainability Initiative.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said during the awards ceremony on Thursday night, “Our efforts in here in Paris must reflect the rights and aspirations of the poor, the marginalized, and the most vulnerable to the impacts of the changing climate.”

 

 

“Entrepreneurs and innovators around the world are already ushering in a new era of low-emissions, climate-friendly Earth. They aren’t waiting for others to act. They know the future lies with those who have the vision and the courage to take the initiatives,” he said.

 

The 2015 Momentum for Change Lighthouse Activities are:

Urban Poor

* E-waste: From Toxic to Green | India: Creating jobs to keep e-waste out of landfills* Solvatten Solar Safe Water Heater | Kenya: Reducing emissions while securing access to safe drinking water

*Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative | Latin America & the Caribbean: Supporting sustainable growth in emerging cities

Women for Results

* Fostering Cleaner Production | Colombia: Reducing emissions in manufacturing

* Harvesting Geothermal Energy | El Salvador: Generating income with geothermal waste-heat

* Planting Trees to Save the Mangrove | Guinea: Establishing women-led groups that protect forests and generate income

* SELF’s Solar Market Gardens | Benin: Empowering women farmers through solar drip irrigation

Financing for Climate Friendly Investment

* Azuri PayGo Energy | Africa: Innovating pay-as-you-go energy systems for rural homes

* Deforestation-free Cocoa | Peru: Using a carbon-asset-backed loan to protect forests and produce cocoa

* Microsoft Global Carbon Fee | Global: Transforming corporate culture by putting a price on carbon ICT Solutions

* ChargePoint Electric Vehicle Charging Corridors | United States of America: Building a network of electric vehicle express charging stations

* Enabling Farmers to Adapt to Climate Change | Uganda: Using ICT solutions to build resilience

* Fairphone | The Netherlands: Producing a phone that improves lives and the environment

* Lifelink Water Solutions | Kenya and Uganda: Using ICT tools to provide safe, sustainable and affordable water

* Mapping Exposure to Sea Level Rise | Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea: Preparing for risk with online spatial tools

* Mobisol Smart Solar Homes

 

photo: UNFCCC