Mwamlonzo solar power project

By Bihemo Kimasa

In 1839 a French physicist named Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel explained the operation principle of a solar cell, when he discovered the photovoltaic effect. In 1883 the first solar cell was built by Charles Fritts, an American inventor.

A century later in the 21st century thanks to passionate researchers, solar power is not only promising to be a viable alternative to off-grid regions but also is nearing grid parity.

However, a major concern remains to be that of cost. As a result there are many approaches used to alleviate this  such as those featured by credit services for consumers, and the government subsidized solar energy platforms.

Mwamlonzo is a town in Africa, where insolation is twice as much as Germany’s – one of the world’s top solar energy installers – where less than 5% people have access to electricity. Most of them rely on fuel wood which is more than 5 km away.

A local university student, believing that her generation will ultimately alleviate poverty and that Africa is not a failed continent, has for many years thought about pioneering social change by making solar panels accessible to these villagers on loan, at a price affordable to them. She manages to secure enough funds, much of which comes from banks, institutions and individuals, to realize her idea. Right after graduation, she goes out to found a solar power supply company.

But because poverty is so high in Mwamlonzo that repaying the loan may become difficult, she comes up with an idea of providing the energy at a monthly payment plan of US $15, which can be afforded by most of her clients. Every client of hers pays this amount of money for a certain period of time, a maximum of which could be ten years, and afterward the price lowers to possibly half the initial plan.

Her ideas are not conventional, nor immediate, but aim at targeting rural development. Her philosophy is that of solar energy for sustainable economic growth. Realizing that and aiming at a sustainable business, instead of laying solar panels on roofs, she decides to build small solar power plants in villages where her clients could be found. These small plants will provide energy to a definite specified number of clients over a defined radius, with mini-power- transmission lines.

The power plants will remain her company’s property, and servicing them will be the company’s sole responsibility. She partners with electric appliance sellers to provide her clients with electric lamps, cooking panes, and so on at a monthly installments.

A few years later, she starts a research lab for the advancement of Lugha for computing. Lugha is the most widely spoken language in the country, in computing. Investing in local linguists and scientists, she partners with computer software giants such as SAP, Google and Microsoft, and computer manufacturers such as Dell. The lab invests in translating the current technology in a language most widely spoken by the locals of Mwamlonzo.

3 years later the lab is ready to sell software and computers, in the Lugha language, to her clients both in Mwamlonzo and around the country. 15 years later, in 2025 more than 70% of Mwamlonzo residents have access to electricity. Her clients are able to benefit from the current technology, schools and hospitals are offering 24/7 services. The energy is used to irrigate farms and pump water for drinking and other uses. In a featured article on CNN, the same year, statistics show that Mwamlonzo actually does not depend on international aid, entrepreneurial spirit has risen from 10% to 40%, life expectancy has improved from 48 (in 2010) to 55 years of age. The number of students passing mathematics has risen from 20% to 60%.

Mwamlonzo is a fictitious city in Tanzania to depict my rural Tanzania, of 2025, that has realized the potential of solar energy for a sustainable economic development.

Bihemo is a senior student at Jacobs University majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.