Solar Sisters: RI Resident Brings Clean Energy to African Women
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Katherine Lucey, of Bristol, is taking on the global need for sustainable energy with a new project that brings solar energy to poor women in rural Africa.
Solar Sister, a social enterprise developed by Lucey, commissions women to sell solar-powered lanterns to local businesses. The results are increased job opportunities for rural African women and improved access to clean, inexpensive light sources.
An Idea
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTLucey, who originally worked as an investment banker in the energy development sector, came up with the idea after realizing that building big energy infrastructure did not necessarily guarantee that energy was reaching the right people. Often, the energy produced by big power plants only went to urban areas and private industries, ignoring the poor rural areas that need it the most.
Lucey left investment banking and began working for an organization that directly installs solar power in rural African villages. With this more direct approach, Lucey saw how transforming electricity can be.
"Just a simple light changes your life," she said.
But Lucey noticed another need in the fight to increase energy access: "The men would always gather around, but the women were always in the background and outside of the circle. They did not have a chance to get involved with the cool new energy projects and technology we brought."
In order to close this gap between women and technology and to continue distributing solar energy in rural Africa, Lucey established Solar Sisters.
Becoming a "Solar Sister"
Lucey worked closely with the Mother's Union in Uganda to tap into the already established network of women in rural Africa. Through this organization, she has found a number of smart, enthusiastic women to become Solar Sister saleswomen, such as Lydia, the first Solar Sister.
Lydia, a woman living in Eastern Uganda, already owned and operated a retail store in her village. When presented with the opportunity to become a Solar Sister, she immediately replied, "If I sell many of these solar lamps, you will give me a proper discount," demonstrating her natural ability to negotiate.
Lucey left her with a "business in a bag," which included an initial inventory of two different types of lamps. By the next day, Lydia had sold every single solar lantern.
But not all women are natural saleswomen like Lydia. In order to make the process of becoming a Solar Sister saleswoman easier, Solar Sister provides all of the necessary education and training to become effective, knowledgeable saleswomen. There are no start-up costs either, since all of the women are automatically provided with an initial inventory of solar lanterns which they do not have to pay for until after they sell them.
Turning on the Light
Some Solar Sisters even choose to use the solar lanterns to enhance their own small businesses and communities.
Rebecca, a Solar Sister who is often featured as a primary example of the transformative power of energy, chose to put a solar lantern in her chicken room. By increasing the hours of light in her chicken room, her chickens began to eat more, eventually laying more eggs (chickens eat only when they can see). Rebecca used the extra egg sales to invest in seeds and other livestock to improve her farm's production capacity. She eventually earned enough profits to build a school for her community.
The solar lanterns improve the productivity of local businesses like Rebecca's by allowing for more work in the evenings. The lanterns also free up business and household income by providing a cheap alternative to expensive kerosene for gas lamps. Lucey explained that the average rural family in Africa spends $2 a week for kerosene, which adds up to $104 a year. The solar lanterns only cost $20 and last up to 10 years.
Involving Women, Involving Communities
Lucey believes that investing in women has become the most efficient way to distribute solar energy across villages in Africa. Women serve as the gatekeepers to households and communities. By reaching out to women, Solar Sister is also reaching out to the natural networks of friends and family that women naturally belong to.
Just as Rebecca chose to build a school with her extra income, women are also more likely to reinvest in their community. According to the Solar Sister Web site, "When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent back into the family, as opposed to only 30 percent for men."
Recognition from the National Peace Corps Association
The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) recently awarded the Solar Sister project $1,000 for the Africa Rural Connect 2010 ideas competition, which Lucey will use to invest in more start up supplies.
Winning the competition also makes Solar Sister eligible for the $12,000 grand prize, which will be determined in December. If Solar Sister is awarded this additional prize, the funds will provide the necessary capital to supply the initial inventory and training of an estimated 20 new Solar Sister entrepreneurs.
Expanding into the Future
In the future, Lucey plans to scale up, increasing the number of Solar Sisters not only in Uganda, but also in West Africa. She also hopes to bring her business model to India and Afghanistan.
Because Solar Sister functions like a normal business to accomplish a social mission, Lucey is optimistic that Solar Sister will continue to expand to fill the need for energy across the globe.
"Solar Sister is a market based system, so expansion is not limited by how much money we can raise through charitable donations, we are able to expand and replicated based on market conditions. There are 1.6 billion people who don't have access to electricity - there will always be a huge market for us to expand into," said Lucey.
