Energy Poverty in East Africa: From the Society of Women Engineers National Conference presentation “Rocket Ships and Tanzania Trips”
My friend elbowed me while looking through the conference program, and said “you have to go to this one – it’s about Tanzania!” She was referring to the presentation entitled Rocket Ships and Tanzania trips. After having spent the summer in Zanzibar, Tanzania the title of the talk piqued my interest, so naturally, I had to go hear it – this is what I learned.
Oregon Institute of Technology seniors partnered with the organization Solar HOPE to install solar panels in Tanzania. Installing energy gathering technology like this can greatly improve the function of many institutions, such as medical clinics and schools, especially in rural areas where the electricity grid is even less reliable. One school the group visited had burned down the year before because of a candle fire. Students did not have electricity in the dormitories or classrooms and to study at night they would have to use candles. In addition to having open flames, there are other hazards of having limited access to power and to having limited knowledge about these systems. Some places workers had removed pieces from electronics such as charge controllers and surge protectors, causing damage to the electronics and to the surrounding buildings. Even in places where the electronic components are all in working condition, the reliability of the grid is minimal and solar or other energy gathering devices can provide a more steady source of power, which is critical for the operation of many places – especially medical clinics and hospitals.
After explaining how energy poverty can have an effect and sharing her personal experiences, our presenter closed with one very important idea: before we implement a system we need to run diagnostics on the environment, asking the people what their need are – not imposing our own. She stressed how important it is to get many viewpoints from leaders and the general population – men and women – to get a clear picture of the communal goals.