From Guest Blogger Carolina: Changing Lives Via Clean Energy

As solar companies strive to provide consumers with the sun’s renewable energy, they too are doing their part to help those in need. Many U.S. solar companies have reached out to the third world in effort to provide them with solar equipment that will help improve lives on the daily, from lighting schools, to power communication equipment. Countless rural towns throughout Africa do not have direct access to a power grid because of the sheer cost to transport the electricity over far distances. However, solar companies are changing this.

For example, Empowered By Light, an organization dedicated to encouraging the use of renewable energy, and Sungevity, a home solar company, joined together to bring solar power to Zambia in Africa. They provide lighting and charging devices, powered by the sun, to help improve the lives of residents. In countries like Rwanda, The Rwanda Ministry of Infrastructure encourages solar power and has even created a solar power plant that connects to the national grid in effort to reduce energy costs in increase the access to renewable energy. As technology becomes cheaper and more advanced and with solar companies significantly aiding in accessibility and installation of these devices, access to solar will only become more prolific in these areas.