UN plans solar energy for 33 million people in Africa, Asia

Feb 16, 2012, 17:28 GMT

New York - Low-cost solar panels and solar batteries will be provided to poor communities in 14 countries in Africa and Asia in the next four years, the UN Development Programme said Thursday.

A total of 33 million people in the 14 countries will be able to make use of solar energy for commercial businesses and economic development, using the solar panels to be developed by a Mauritius-based company called ToughStuff, UNDP said.

UNDP estimates use of solar energy would save 520 million dollars normally spent annually on the purchase of kerosene or biomass fuel in low-income villages in the 14 countries.

The 10 African countries targeted for solar panel distribution are Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe; and the four South Asian countries are Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal.

UNDP said 1.4 billion people of the world's population of 7 billion have no access to electricity and use of biomass fuel in poor communities could cause cancer in an estimated 1.5 million people by 2030.