- Published on
by Rachel McManus
EarthSpark had been working closely with members of the Les Anglais community for over 5 years before the grid inauguration last year. This experience was invaluable to us in that it helped us to understand the town’s residents and their needs. It also allowed us to make friendships that turned into partnerships that help us get our work done. As we plan to roll out 79 more grids over the next 5 years, we understand that it will be impossible to spend that much time with each individual community. Therefore, we are thinking carefully about our ‘path to scale’ for community engagement in other towns.
We often receive requests from different stakeholders who would like to work with EarthSpark to build a microgrid in their community. To streamline the process of engaging these communities EarthSpark held a mayor’s expo in Les Anglais on May 19th for 14 representatives from 9 towns.
EarthSpark had been working closely with members of the Les Anglais community for over 5 years before the grid inauguration last year. This experience was invaluable to us in that it helped us to understand the town’s residents and their needs. It also allowed us to make friendships that turned into partnerships that help us get our work done. As we plan to roll out 79 more grids over the next 5 years, we understand that it will be impossible to spend that much time with each individual community. Therefore, we are thinking carefully about our ‘path to scale’ for community engagement in other towns.
We often receive requests from different stakeholders who would like to work with EarthSpark to build a microgrid in their community. To streamline the process of engaging these communities EarthSpark held a mayor’s expo in Les Anglais on May 19th for 14 representatives from 9 towns.
The day kicked off at 8 AM (ok, 9:30, but some people had travelled 7 hours to come!) with coffee and breakfast in the salle paroissiale – community center in Les Anglais. After a discussion on Enèji Pwòp and the history of the Les Anglais grid, we set out in the hot sun to tour the town and see the generation system. After the grid tour we stopped by Madame Ludgere’s depot to see her corn thresher and discuss how her women’s cooperative is working with EarthSpark to explore using electricity to process corn. While we strongly disagree, one of the mayors was so impressed that he stated it would be hard to find more such smart and industrious women like Madame Ludgere and her group in all of Haiti. After that, we stopped by the Magazen Enèji Pwòp to see how the Les Anglais’ grid ambassador, Rosane Jean-Jacques, sells plop plop, pre-pay electricity credits, to customers.
The mayors were very impressed with the grid and had a lot of questions. Almost all of the towns took EarthSpark’s executive director, Rachel McManus, aside to campaign privately for their town and discuss the steps they were taking to electrify their towns (such as forming energy committees, scoping out land for solar panels and reaching out to diaspora members for funding).
Each mayor received an information packet with technical specifications for the grid and its smart meters, a description of the agricultural processing technologies, and a module on Renewable Energy 101. They were also asked to fill out a short survey about the economic activities in their town.
The day closed with exchanges of phone numbers and some of the mayors suggesting a Whatsapp group ‘to keep the momentum going.’ We look forward to that momentum and to working with these communities in the future!
Each mayor received an information packet with technical specifications for the grid and its smart meters, a description of the agricultural processing technologies, and a module on Renewable Energy 101. They were also asked to fill out a short survey about the economic activities in their town.
The day closed with exchanges of phone numbers and some of the mayors suggesting a Whatsapp group ‘to keep the momentum going.’ We look forward to that momentum and to working with these communities in the future!
- Published on
By Jamie Trahan
October 26th marked 6 months of operation of the solar powered smart microgrid in Les Anglais. Each month has been full of learning experiences that are invaluable as we prepare our future endeavors in rural electrification in Haiti. With the grid in its infancy, we are developing and streamlining processes for smooth daily operation and tackling a few technical hurdles. We are not just learning about the community’s needs but are learning together with the community. And we are not the only ones who are excited! Though the grid launched with 430 clients in April, we now have 440 customers, and over 30 residents have signed up and are eagerly awaiting a new installation for their home or business. We are also working on plans to extend the current footprint of the grid to include an additional street in Les Anglais, which should be completed before the year’s end. Bon bagay! (Haitian Creole for “good stuff”!)
October 26th marked 6 months of operation of the solar powered smart microgrid in Les Anglais. Each month has been full of learning experiences that are invaluable as we prepare our future endeavors in rural electrification in Haiti. With the grid in its infancy, we are developing and streamlining processes for smooth daily operation and tackling a few technical hurdles. We are not just learning about the community’s needs but are learning together with the community. And we are not the only ones who are excited! Though the grid launched with 430 clients in April, we now have 440 customers, and over 30 residents have signed up and are eagerly awaiting a new installation for their home or business. We are also working on plans to extend the current footprint of the grid to include an additional street in Les Anglais, which should be completed before the year’s end. Bon bagay! (Haitian Creole for “good stuff”!)
A particularly novel feature of our microgrid is the use of a smart meter technology developed by EarthSpark’s own spin-off company SparkMeter. These high-functionality, low-cost meters were developed to meet the special needs of grid operators in expanding electricity access to low-consumption customers. One of the most salient SparkMeter features is its prepayment system, allowing customers to buy energy when they need it and as much as they can afford, in the same way that they currently pay for cell phone credit and kerosene. This obviates a high monthly electricity bill that is often more than they can afford and ensures cost recovery for the utility company. Among many other customizable applications, the smart meter also allows for time-of-use pricing. This functionality enables EarthSpark to charge a lower price for electricity during the middle of the day when the grid has extra low-cost solar-powered electricity and incentivizes consumption when energy costs are lower. While the grid is 24 hours/day, electricity is more expensive to deliver when the electricity is coming from the grid’s batteries.
With the smart meter technology in place, we can monitor electricity consumption across the entire grid and down to the level of each individual household. The data can then be used to manage loads, to educate clients on energy efficiency, and to evaluate and resolve technical problems that may arise. Technical issues will not repair themselves, and EarthSpark was thrilled to be able to expand its team this summer. Reozi Meisson is a resident of Les Anglais and a trained electrician who is now serving as the Grid Technician. On any given day, you may find Reozi climbing a ladder to repair a transformer, testing the circuits of a client’s home, or working with our Grid Ambassador Rosane on theft detection. Electricity theft is a major challenge for utilities across the world, and must be addressed diligently and carefully to ensure that all customers are aware of the consequences of theft for the community and for the grid. Eko Pwòp, our local grid brand, is not impervious to these challenges, and we are working on technical and non-technical solutions to manage theft.
EarthSpark is looking forward not just to powering the people of Les Anglais but to empowering them. We are exploring solutions in which electricity from the grid can be used to promote business development and can facilitate replacement of fossil fuel powered machines with emission free technologies. We hope to expand our business model so that we can service other rural towns in Haiti, and hope you will join us in this journey.
EarthSpark is looking forward not just to powering the people of Les Anglais but to empowering them. We are exploring solutions in which electricity from the grid can be used to promote business development and can facilitate replacement of fossil fuel powered machines with emission free technologies. We hope to expand our business model so that we can service other rural towns in Haiti, and hope you will join us in this journey.
- Published on
Thanks to generous funding from the US Trade and Development Agency and with great collaboration from Energy and Security Group, Thunder Capital, and the Haiti Energy Institute, Enèji Pwòp engaged over 50 people to design, coordinate, and implement a first-of-its kind national microgrid market study in Haiti.
In order to reach the joint goal of building 80 microgrids in Haiti by 2020, EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp identified four major barriers to a fundable plan:
In order to reach the joint goal of building 80 microgrids in Haiti by 2020, EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp identified four major barriers to a fundable plan:
- Detailed, relevant and credible market data
- Legal and regulatory clarity
- A trained and vetted microgrid workforce
- A strong base of microgrid development and operation experience in Haiti
Researchers learn about amps, volts, and watts during 'microgrid boot camp' in Les Anglais.
Recognizing the lack of credible market data as a major barrier, The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) funded Enèji Pwòp to lead a national microgrid market study in Haiti. The consortium that sprang into action was in many ways a dream team of local and international contributors working to conduct outreach and research throughout the small towns of off-grid Haiti.
Enèji Pwòp named the field research portion of the effort “Akademi Enèji” – Energy Academy – because it would engage students and would, through training and conversation, increase the energy literacy of the researchers and those being interviewed in the selected towns. Globally, few people speak ‘microgrid’ which is a combination of technical, social, physical, and economic vocabularies, but that language and understanding is necessary to any successful microgrid development. Thirty-eight field researchers joined Akademi Enèji including 30 masters level Haitian students specifically recommended by the deans of their universities as high-performing candidates for the researcher positions. During an intensive ‘microgrid bootcamp’ in Les Anglais, researchers dove into classes ranging from ‘electricity 101’ to ‘survey research methodology’.
Nothing about the study was easy. Political unrest put moods on edge during the training sessions. Someone got hospitalized for typhoid. Two researchers drank only Coca-cola for days because there was no potable water. Logistics problems and remote cash management challenges plagued the entire exercise, but the work got done. Each field researcher, equipped with a specially configured tablet computer, conducted custom surveys with town residents, business owners, and community leaders; each registered observations and uploaded GPS points. In all, 93 towns were catalogued, and we hope to publish a final report early next year.
Many heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to this giant undertaking. Thanks in particular to Energy and Security Group, Thunder Capital, The Haiti Energy Institute, USTDA, and, most of all, to the volunteers and field researchers for their diligent work.
With detailed, relevant, and credible microgrid market data now in hand, EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp are one critical step closer to a plan that can bring microgrids to towns across Haiti (and beyond!)
Enèji Pwòp named the field research portion of the effort “Akademi Enèji” – Energy Academy – because it would engage students and would, through training and conversation, increase the energy literacy of the researchers and those being interviewed in the selected towns. Globally, few people speak ‘microgrid’ which is a combination of technical, social, physical, and economic vocabularies, but that language and understanding is necessary to any successful microgrid development. Thirty-eight field researchers joined Akademi Enèji including 30 masters level Haitian students specifically recommended by the deans of their universities as high-performing candidates for the researcher positions. During an intensive ‘microgrid bootcamp’ in Les Anglais, researchers dove into classes ranging from ‘electricity 101’ to ‘survey research methodology’.
Nothing about the study was easy. Political unrest put moods on edge during the training sessions. Someone got hospitalized for typhoid. Two researchers drank only Coca-cola for days because there was no potable water. Logistics problems and remote cash management challenges plagued the entire exercise, but the work got done. Each field researcher, equipped with a specially configured tablet computer, conducted custom surveys with town residents, business owners, and community leaders; each registered observations and uploaded GPS points. In all, 93 towns were catalogued, and we hope to publish a final report early next year.
Many heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to this giant undertaking. Thanks in particular to Energy and Security Group, Thunder Capital, The Haiti Energy Institute, USTDA, and, most of all, to the volunteers and field researchers for their diligent work.
With detailed, relevant, and credible microgrid market data now in hand, EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp are one critical step closer to a plan that can bring microgrids to towns across Haiti (and beyond!)
- Published on
By Rachel McManus
With a small, nimble team, EarthSpark has always been able to embrace opportunity and rise to meet challenges. After opening the first Clean Energy Store in Haiti in 2010, EarthSpark expanded the Enèji Pwòp brand (‘Clean Energy’ in Haitian Creole) to train and serve over 100 clean energy entrepreneurs across Haiti. A lot has changed since then!
As we work on expanding microgrid electricity alongside our retail efforts, our model is evolving.
EarthSpark has been working on energy access in Haiti since 2008, facing many challenges and successes along the way. Small and flexible, we have been able to meet these challenges and adapt our strategies quickly.
From starting with the lone Magazen Enèji Pwòp in Les Anglais in 2010 we altered our distribution strategy in 2012 to a fluid network of entrepreneurs across Haiti selling high-quality, 3rd party tested solar lights and efficient cookstoves. To date, Enèji Pwòp SA has sold over 14,000 products. This has been one of our greatest successes.
With a small, nimble team, EarthSpark has always been able to embrace opportunity and rise to meet challenges. After opening the first Clean Energy Store in Haiti in 2010, EarthSpark expanded the Enèji Pwòp brand (‘Clean Energy’ in Haitian Creole) to train and serve over 100 clean energy entrepreneurs across Haiti. A lot has changed since then!
As we work on expanding microgrid electricity alongside our retail efforts, our model is evolving.
EarthSpark has been working on energy access in Haiti since 2008, facing many challenges and successes along the way. Small and flexible, we have been able to meet these challenges and adapt our strategies quickly.
From starting with the lone Magazen Enèji Pwòp in Les Anglais in 2010 we altered our distribution strategy in 2012 to a fluid network of entrepreneurs across Haiti selling high-quality, 3rd party tested solar lights and efficient cookstoves. To date, Enèji Pwòp SA has sold over 14,000 products. This has been one of our greatest successes.
While developing the retail side, EarthSpark also saw the potential for micro-grid development as a way to deliver grid-quality electricity to towns, leap-frog traditional diesel-based energy access straight to clean, renewable smart-grids. In 2012 we turned on a tiny pilot grid – generously powered by the telecommunications company Digicel’s diesel generator. That grid was Haiti’s first pre-pay microgrid. In April 2015, we launched Haiti’s first town-sized solar-powered smart grid.
The Les Anglais grid is one of our proudest accomplishments and also what we see as our most important contribution to the energy sector in Haiti. The years of research, planning and implementation of the grid have provided us with invaluable experience and training on a business model that we think can change the way in which homes in rural Haitian towns are electrified. We are still refining our operations and procedures but believe we are really on to something that is replicable.
In recent years EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp, as well as other solar product distributors in Haiti and around the world, have seen increased competition and market spoilage from low-quality solar lamp manufacturers. While it is good that there are more solar distributers out there, we fear that low-quality products will cause consumers to lose faith in solar products at a time we are already struggling to compete.
At the same time we also believe that we have found our niche in microgrid development. We are not leaving our retail side behind, but we are doubling our focus on grid development and the ensuing operation and maintenance of microgrids. Enèji Pwòp took over daily operation of the Les Anglais grid in June 2015, and we are working out the processes of running a utility company as we plan future grids. Enèji Pwòp is still selling solar lights and cookstoves and will continue to do so. In fact, we see microgrid operation as an excellent way to address an important piece of the expensive ‘last mile distribution’ problem in rural solar distribution. Having energy-savvy staff in the grid-powered towns will enable us to share resources across grid and non-grid efforts. Solar lights are an excellent way to build brand recognition in communities which will be sites for microgrids and will continue to be the best solution for the enormous population that will remain off-(micro!) grid for the foreseeable future.
As we continue down this path, we look forward to new challenges and successes and, as ever, we are grateful for your support!
The Les Anglais grid is one of our proudest accomplishments and also what we see as our most important contribution to the energy sector in Haiti. The years of research, planning and implementation of the grid have provided us with invaluable experience and training on a business model that we think can change the way in which homes in rural Haitian towns are electrified. We are still refining our operations and procedures but believe we are really on to something that is replicable.
In recent years EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp, as well as other solar product distributors in Haiti and around the world, have seen increased competition and market spoilage from low-quality solar lamp manufacturers. While it is good that there are more solar distributers out there, we fear that low-quality products will cause consumers to lose faith in solar products at a time we are already struggling to compete.
At the same time we also believe that we have found our niche in microgrid development. We are not leaving our retail side behind, but we are doubling our focus on grid development and the ensuing operation and maintenance of microgrids. Enèji Pwòp took over daily operation of the Les Anglais grid in June 2015, and we are working out the processes of running a utility company as we plan future grids. Enèji Pwòp is still selling solar lights and cookstoves and will continue to do so. In fact, we see microgrid operation as an excellent way to address an important piece of the expensive ‘last mile distribution’ problem in rural solar distribution. Having energy-savvy staff in the grid-powered towns will enable us to share resources across grid and non-grid efforts. Solar lights are an excellent way to build brand recognition in communities which will be sites for microgrids and will continue to be the best solution for the enormous population that will remain off-(micro!) grid for the foreseeable future.
As we continue down this path, we look forward to new challenges and successes and, as ever, we are grateful for your support!
- Published on
By Allison Archambault
On May 21, 2015, Rachel McManus stood at the podium of the United Naitons General Assembly to announce the EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp joint commitment to build 80 microgrids in Haiti by 2020. This commitment, made as part of the U.N. Sustainable Energy for All forum, will bring electricity to over 200,000 individuals.
Going from one grid to 80 grids is no small challenge, but the EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp teams are looking forward to working with the Government of Haiti, local mayors, and a variety of local partners to get it done.
On May 21, 2015, Rachel McManus stood at the podium of the United Naitons General Assembly to announce the EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp joint commitment to build 80 microgrids in Haiti by 2020. This commitment, made as part of the U.N. Sustainable Energy for All forum, will bring electricity to over 200,000 individuals.
Going from one grid to 80 grids is no small challenge, but the EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp teams are looking forward to working with the Government of Haiti, local mayors, and a variety of local partners to get it done.
- Published on
By Allison Archambault
EarthSpark’s determined founder, Dan Schnitzer, is – as of last May – Dr. Dan Schnitzer. Congratulations, Dan, on getting your PhD!
Part of Dan’s research included this great report on microgrid best practices which has informed EarthSpark’s work and is helping policy makers and grid operators around the world. Dan remains actively involved with EarthSpark through his board seat, but as he has transitioned to a full time role as CEO of EarthSpark spin-off, SparkMeter, Inc. The EarthSpark team is thrilled to welcome Rachel McManus to the DC office to fill the role of Executive Director. After four years of living in Haiti and helping to build Enèji Pwòp, Rachel brings unique perspectives and unbeatable practical development skills to this role.
You can still often find Dan in the EarthSpark coworking space in DC, along with Rachel and Allison, and our co-working friends from SparkMeter, the Bonobo Conservation Initiative, Peer Aspect, and the Global Call for Climate Action. It’s a lively group, and we hope you can come visit us sometime. If you happen to be in DC, Port-au-Prince, or Les Anglais, please don’t hesitate to call. Our supporters make our work possible, and we’d love to hear from you!
EarthSpark’s determined founder, Dan Schnitzer, is – as of last May – Dr. Dan Schnitzer. Congratulations, Dan, on getting your PhD!
Part of Dan’s research included this great report on microgrid best practices which has informed EarthSpark’s work and is helping policy makers and grid operators around the world. Dan remains actively involved with EarthSpark through his board seat, but as he has transitioned to a full time role as CEO of EarthSpark spin-off, SparkMeter, Inc. The EarthSpark team is thrilled to welcome Rachel McManus to the DC office to fill the role of Executive Director. After four years of living in Haiti and helping to build Enèji Pwòp, Rachel brings unique perspectives and unbeatable practical development skills to this role.
You can still often find Dan in the EarthSpark coworking space in DC, along with Rachel and Allison, and our co-working friends from SparkMeter, the Bonobo Conservation Initiative, Peer Aspect, and the Global Call for Climate Action. It’s a lively group, and we hope you can come visit us sometime. If you happen to be in DC, Port-au-Prince, or Les Anglais, please don’t hesitate to call. Our supporters make our work possible, and we’d love to hear from you!
- Published on
By Rachel McManus
EarthSpark’s president, Allison Archambault, is on her way back from Helsinki, Finland, where she was presenting at the Global Innovations for Children and Youth Summit organized by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The panel, “Charging Up” featured energy innovators from around the world, and specifically discussed challenges and opportunities to getting affordable, reliable, clean energy services to the world’s underserved populations. UNICEF works “to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.” We’re delighted and grateful that they see expanding electricity access as an essential element of achieving this mission.
EarthSpark’s president, Allison Archambault, is on her way back from Helsinki, Finland, where she was presenting at the Global Innovations for Children and Youth Summit organized by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The panel, “Charging Up” featured energy innovators from around the world, and specifically discussed challenges and opportunities to getting affordable, reliable, clean energy services to the world’s underserved populations. UNICEF works “to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.” We’re delighted and grateful that they see expanding electricity access as an essential element of achieving this mission.
- Published on
Please join us for a networking event co-hosted by the Energy Access Practitioner Network and EarthSpark International
Celebrating winners of 2015
Powering Agriculture Innovator showcase
featuring a guest presentation on:
Rebuild Barpak
Sustainable energy solutions to Nepal’s earthquake crisis
Bir Bahadur Ghale, Gorkhaly Foundation
On
Thursday, November 19, 2015
5.00 – 7.00pm
National Grange Building,
1616 H St. NW, Washington DC
Celebrating winners of 2015
Powering Agriculture Innovator showcase
featuring a guest presentation on:
Rebuild Barpak
Sustainable energy solutions to Nepal’s earthquake crisis
Bir Bahadur Ghale, Gorkhaly Foundation
On
Thursday, November 19, 2015
5.00 – 7.00pm
National Grange Building,
1616 H St. NW, Washington DC
The Energy Access Practitioner Network globally numbering over 2000 private sector companies and NGOs, supports market-led decentralized energy applications towards achieving universal energy access by 2030. It catalyzes energy service delivery by promoting new technologies, adoption of quality standards in technology and delivery, and innovative financial and business models. The Practitioner Network is open to all organizations and individuals actively involved in the implementation, development, financing, and management aspects of delivering electricity sustainably, affordably, and effectively. For more information and to join, please visit www.energyaccess.org.
Bir Bahadur Ghale is a social entrepreneur from village of Barpak, Gorkha District, epicenter of the Nepal earthquake. Barpak has been widely recognized as a shining example of rural development driven by energy services. Mr. Ghale has been operating micro-hydro projects (MHP) in Barpak since 1991, providing electricity to households and rural enterprises. Mr. Ghale is regarded as pioneer for micro hydro solutions and is an Ashoka Fellow. Mr. Ghalealso heads Hydro Energy Concern, a micro- and small hydropower project development firm, which has contributed to more than 60 projects with cumulative capacity of over 5 MW. After the earthquake, Mr. Ghale joined forces with the community, friends of Barpak, and the Gorkhaly Foundation (GF), an all-volunteer group based out of Washington DC; and the“Rebuild Barpak” campaign was launched, to help address energy and reconstruction issues in Barpak following the disaster.
- Published on
Aarti Mahajan of EarthSpark speaks with agricultural entrepreneurs in Les Anglais, Haiti about opportunities in mechanization of agricultural processing.
By Rachel McManus and Allison Archambault
Happy Global Women’s Climate Justice Day of Action, everybody!
In honor of the day, we’re highlighting feminist electrification and how EarthSpark is working to foster not only electricity, but gender equality through our work. Climate justice and gender justice are inextricably linked.
We like to think of our work through a lens of feminist electrification. Here's why:
Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and is usually associated with changing over from another power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology and economic history, usually applies to a region or national economy.
The arrival of electricity service in a town signals a significant moment of technical, social, and economic change. Residents put away their candles and kerosene lamps and – for the first time - flip switches for electric lighting. People charge phones in their own homes and launch businesses to charge phones of people living beyond the new grid. Small appliances like radios and DVD players which had previously been impossible or cumbersome to operate – requiring a battery to be charged and transported or the repeated purchase of non-rechargeable batteries – become more commonplace, and, depending on the level of electricity service available, new opportunities in home appliances, refrigeration, and mechanized labor may emerge.
The economic benefits of electricity have been well documented, but there has been relatively little attention paid to the gender outcomes of the arrival of electricity in a town. How can community leaders, non-governmental organizations, and grid developers leverage the social disruption that is electrification to improve the standing of women and girls in the community or, at a minimum, at least ensure that the standing of women and girls is not diminished?
Energia, an international organization specifically promoting women’s empowerment through the issues of energy, points out that globally women are largely absent from energy-related infrastructure decisions. This is in spite of research that indicates that involving women in the planning and implementation phases of infrastructure development improves outcomes not only for women and girls but also for men and boys and for the funders (and overall sustainability of the project) too!
In infrastructure projects, a review of World Bank projects showed that:
• Women’s participation in design and decision-making in water users’ associations or rural electrification cooperatives improves governance, management, cost recovery and production
• Women’s participation increases the effectiveness, quality and sustainability of infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance; provides a high economic rate of return (31 percent); and creates an improved work environment, with less violence and drinking in project sites.
Energia goes on to explain,
“There are many reasons why gender has been a neglected factor in energy planning. Many planners do not fully understand that energy impacts differently on men and women. One explanation of why there is a lack of understanding is that energy professionals are nearly all men, so women are not able to bring issues that affect them to the fore.” (more from Energia on that here.)
In the rural Haitian towns where EarthSpark is active, both men and women take leadership roles in local organizations and economic activities, but gender norms rest – as they do in all cultures – on a complex set of cultural patterns and local circumstances. Women tend to manage household finances related to agricultural production and local trade. There remains, however, a trend towards male dominance in decision-making at the high levels of local governance.
The areas of opportunity for gender-related engagement in the electrification process fall into at least five categories: infrastructure planning, training and employment, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) promotion, domestic energy use, and community resource availability.
A Haitian proverb often heard in Haiti says that fanm se poto mitan ("women are the pillars of society"). EarthSpark is working hard to ensure that these pillars of society are both beneficiaries and agents of change in their community helping to bring light and hope to all.
In general, access to electricity improves people’s lives by improving health, education, and economic outcomes. At the same time, local women are often under-represented in the decision-making process leading up to and structuring electrification. Since electrification of a town is by definition a cultural disruption, there is an opportunity to thoughtfully design the process to ensure “pro-women” outcomes. Not only is serving women’s needs an important tool in reducing extreme poverty; it also improves the viability of rural electrification business models. It is thus imminently within EarthSpark International’s mission to use a 'feminist electrification' lens in grid development planning and operations. From community engagement to employee recruitment and training to women-owned SME support and beyond, the women and men of EarthSpark and our partner organizations are hard at work on both climate and gender justice. Join us in underscoring that message by signing the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network declaration here!
Happy Global Women’s Climate Justice Day of Action, everybody!
In honor of the day, we’re highlighting feminist electrification and how EarthSpark is working to foster not only electricity, but gender equality through our work. Climate justice and gender justice are inextricably linked.
We like to think of our work through a lens of feminist electrification. Here's why:
Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and is usually associated with changing over from another power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology and economic history, usually applies to a region or national economy.
The arrival of electricity service in a town signals a significant moment of technical, social, and economic change. Residents put away their candles and kerosene lamps and – for the first time - flip switches for electric lighting. People charge phones in their own homes and launch businesses to charge phones of people living beyond the new grid. Small appliances like radios and DVD players which had previously been impossible or cumbersome to operate – requiring a battery to be charged and transported or the repeated purchase of non-rechargeable batteries – become more commonplace, and, depending on the level of electricity service available, new opportunities in home appliances, refrigeration, and mechanized labor may emerge.
The economic benefits of electricity have been well documented, but there has been relatively little attention paid to the gender outcomes of the arrival of electricity in a town. How can community leaders, non-governmental organizations, and grid developers leverage the social disruption that is electrification to improve the standing of women and girls in the community or, at a minimum, at least ensure that the standing of women and girls is not diminished?
Energia, an international organization specifically promoting women’s empowerment through the issues of energy, points out that globally women are largely absent from energy-related infrastructure decisions. This is in spite of research that indicates that involving women in the planning and implementation phases of infrastructure development improves outcomes not only for women and girls but also for men and boys and for the funders (and overall sustainability of the project) too!
In infrastructure projects, a review of World Bank projects showed that:
• Women’s participation in design and decision-making in water users’ associations or rural electrification cooperatives improves governance, management, cost recovery and production
• Women’s participation increases the effectiveness, quality and sustainability of infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance; provides a high economic rate of return (31 percent); and creates an improved work environment, with less violence and drinking in project sites.
Energia goes on to explain,
“There are many reasons why gender has been a neglected factor in energy planning. Many planners do not fully understand that energy impacts differently on men and women. One explanation of why there is a lack of understanding is that energy professionals are nearly all men, so women are not able to bring issues that affect them to the fore.” (more from Energia on that here.)
In the rural Haitian towns where EarthSpark is active, both men and women take leadership roles in local organizations and economic activities, but gender norms rest – as they do in all cultures – on a complex set of cultural patterns and local circumstances. Women tend to manage household finances related to agricultural production and local trade. There remains, however, a trend towards male dominance in decision-making at the high levels of local governance.
The areas of opportunity for gender-related engagement in the electrification process fall into at least five categories: infrastructure planning, training and employment, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) promotion, domestic energy use, and community resource availability.
A Haitian proverb often heard in Haiti says that fanm se poto mitan ("women are the pillars of society"). EarthSpark is working hard to ensure that these pillars of society are both beneficiaries and agents of change in their community helping to bring light and hope to all.
In general, access to electricity improves people’s lives by improving health, education, and economic outcomes. At the same time, local women are often under-represented in the decision-making process leading up to and structuring electrification. Since electrification of a town is by definition a cultural disruption, there is an opportunity to thoughtfully design the process to ensure “pro-women” outcomes. Not only is serving women’s needs an important tool in reducing extreme poverty; it also improves the viability of rural electrification business models. It is thus imminently within EarthSpark International’s mission to use a 'feminist electrification' lens in grid development planning and operations. From community engagement to employee recruitment and training to women-owned SME support and beyond, the women and men of EarthSpark and our partner organizations are hard at work on both climate and gender justice. Join us in underscoring that message by signing the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network declaration here!
Rosane Jean-Jacques, the Eneji Pwop micro-grid ambassador, carries a ladder to assist a customer.
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This month, Enèji Pwòp launched “Akademi Enèji” in partnership with Energy and Security Group and EarthSpark International. Akademi Enèji's mission statement is to "collect and organize the information and data needed so that we can all work together to expand energy access in Haiti." During an intensive first week of multidisciplinary training in Les Anglais, Haiti, field researchers took classes ranging from "Electricity 101" to "Field Research Survey Methodologies".
We will post more updates and photos shortly, but in the meantime, good luck to each of the 38 field researchers now visiting their first towns!
To contact Akademi Enèji, please email: akademi@enejipwop.com. You can also follow Akademi Enèji on Facebook.
We will post more updates and photos shortly, but in the meantime, good luck to each of the 38 field researchers now visiting their first towns!
To contact Akademi Enèji, please email: akademi@enejipwop.com. You can also follow Akademi Enèji on Facebook.
