Solar Energy Helps Indonesian Villagers Do More

Solar Energy Helps Indonesian Villagers Do More

On Indonesia's eastern island of Sumba, solar power is providing people with electricity. Having electric lights can mean many things. It can mean being able to work later in the evenings, making more money and having more social gatherings¹.

Before electricity came to the village of Laindeha almost two years ago, the day ended when the sun went down.

A few families who could pay for them would start loud generators³, which release smoke. Some people connected lights to old car batteries, which would quickly run out or ruin appliances. Children sometimes studied by oil lamps, but these sometimes burned down homes when knocked over by the wind.

Then social organizations brought small, solar panel systems to Laindeha and other villages on the island.

For Tamar Ana Jawa, it means much-needed extra money.

"It used to be dark at night, now it's bright until morning," the 30-year-old mother of two said. "So tonight, I work...to pay for the children."

Around the world, hundreds of millions of people live in communities without regular electricity. In Sumba, off-grid⁴ solar energy equipment is bringing people limited electricity years before normal power systems reach them.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) says 775 million people around the world lacked electricity service in 2022. The IEA says Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are home to some of the largest populations without electricity. The United Nations and World Bank said in a 2021 report that not having electricity at home keeps people poor. People without power struggle to work in the modern economy, the report said.

Indonesia has brought electricity to millions of people in recent years. The World Bank says that, between 2005 and 2020, the country has increased the percentage of people with electricity from 85 to 97 percent. But there are still more than half a million people in Indonesia living without electricity service.

There are experts who say off-grid solar programs could be reproduced across the large nation of thousands of islands. They note the energy is renewable.

Now, villagers often gather in the evening to continue the day's work. They also gather to watch television shows on cellphones that are recharged by solar panels and that help children do schoolwork by providing light.

But solar power is still rare in Indonesia. The country wants more solar energy to meet its climate goals. But there has been limited progress. This is because households that are not already connected to a power grid cannot sell electricity back to the company that supervises the power grid.

Sumba Sustainable Solutions, based in eastern Sumba, aims to increase solar use.

Working with international donors⁵, it provides imported home solar systems. The systems can power light bulbs and charge cellphones. The company says on its website that it provides the equipment for monthly payments equal to $3.50 for three years.

The organization also offers solar-powered appliances like wireless⁶ lamps and grinding machines. It said it has sent over 3,020 solar light systems and 62 grinding machines across the island, reaching more than 3,000 homes.

Similar programs exist in places like Bangladesh and Africa south of the Sahara Desert. The World Bank says these programs help provide electricity for millions.

But off-grid solar energy systems like these do not provide the same amount of power as a grid. While cellphones and lights can be charged, the systems do not create enough power to operate devices like a sound system for a church.

Off-grid solar projects face problems too, Jetty Arlenda said. He is an engineer with Sumba Sustainable Solutions. The company depends on donors to pay most of the cost of the equipment because villagers could not pay the high cost of the solar equipment at market prices. Villagers without off-grid solar panels continue to wait while Sumba Sustainable Solutions looks for more money from donors.

The company wants support from Indonesia's $20 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership⁷ deal. The deal, signed last year, involves loans and other money from developed nations and international financial companies.

There have been problems with villagers failing to make payments. And when solar systems break, they need imported parts that can be hard to find or costly⁸.

But for now, villagers like Jawa said the solar systems are making a big difference.

Words in This Story

generator² — n. a device that produces electricity usually by from a fuel-powered motor

battery –n. a device that stores an amount of electricity that some machines can use

appliance — n. a machine, like a stove, refrigerator or washing machine, that runs on electricity and does household work

off-grid — adj. not connected to a complex electricity system that provides constant, dependable electrical power across power lines that run from generation centers to homes, businesses and factories

recharge –v. to connect a device with a battery to an electrical source so the battery can be refilled with electrical charge

grind — v. to crush or break into small pieces or even powder

1 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

2 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

3 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

5 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

7 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

8 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。