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Sandra Weller

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The solar powered village
Projects (2)
School: Maastricht Institute of Arts
Public Project
The solar powered village
Copyright Sandra Weller 2024
Updated Apr 2023
Location The Gambia
Topics editorial [featured], environment [featured], feature [featured]
Summary
In the first months of 2022, the inhabitants of the small village Nymanarr, in the far eastern part of The Gambia, are getting access to electricity for the first time in their life by the installment of a solar green mini-grid plant. Now the economy is growing in the village.
In the first months of 2022, the inhabitants of a remote village are getting access to electricity for the first time in their life. Unique Energy, a local company, has been assigned and installed Gambias first solar PV mini-grid plant. Life transformed rapidly. Bordering Senegal, villagers needed to cross the border every day to fulfil their daily needs and go to work. Now everything has changed: new businesses opened, old businesses expanded and new job opportunities arises.

2 out of 3 people in sub-saharan Africa lack access to electricity. Studies proof that Africa has a huge potential to become the “green continent”. But many solar projects in the past have failed because of untrained staff and lack of maintenance. By assigning the project to a local company who is able to distribute the power and maintain the solar farm has the potential to succeed on a sustainable level.

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