Health. Education. A Future.
1.1 billion people in the world still have no access to electricity. They live in the dark.
Solar power has the power to change lives. It is safe, eco-friendly, and renewable, and ultimately allows communities to thrive.
In energy-poor households, kerosene lamp usage is abundant. Not only is kerosene dirty and expensive, it is a major cause of burns and respiratory disease. Inhaling kerosene smoke on a daily basis is equivalent to smoking 4 packs of cigarettes a day, leading to a rise in asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and cancer in rural households. Adolescents are especially vulnerable, with over 180,000 children dying due to burns in Kenya alone. Globally, an estimated 1.5 million people die every year due to kerosene complications, and this number only continues to grow.
Kerosene also sucks a family’s income dry. It is often priced the highest in areas that need it the most, costing up to half of a household’s entire income. Moreover, kerosene transportation is a big issue, requiring women to walk long distances just to purchase it. This is a dangerous process, at the opportunity cost of women spending more time with their family or pursuing their educations. Lastly, a single kerosene lamp can produce 100 kg of carbon emissions in a single year. Kerosene releases black carbon, which absorbs heat at rates hundreds of times greater than regular carbon pollution. Kerosene creates serious harm for our environment.
Switching to solar power can prevent so many deaths and diseases related to kerosene usage. It means the improved health, wellbeing, and quality of life for many communities. With solar power, people no longer have to worry about their house burning down, or whether or not they can afford to purchase next week’s kerosene. Solar power extends children’s schooling times, nearly doubling study periods by providing light once the sun goes down. Electricity gives children from rural areas a chance to compete with urban dwellers, a chance for a better future. The entire economy runs smoother when electricity is available: shopkeepers can stay open longer, factory workers can work more flexible hours since sundown isn’t a limitation anymore, and farmers can safely tend to their agriculture during the night.
This is why Vesta Source feels so strongly about creating energy accessibility.