Keeping Africa’s solar future bright with repair and reuse

Solar power has transformed life across Africa, but as millions of panels and lights break down, local repair initiatives are stepping up to keep communities powered and reduce waste.

Peter Yeung reports for Reasons To Be Cheerful.

In short:

Africa’s solar capacity has grown nearly tenfold since 2014, but an estimated 75% of off-grid solar products in sub-Saharan Africa no longer function, leading to mounting waste and energy access issues.
SolarAid, a nonprofit, is training “solar entrepreneurs” and repair agents in Zambia and Malawi to fix broken solar devices, extending their lifespan and creating jobs in local communities.
Repairing solar equipment, rather than replacing it, is a model the Global North could learn from, but barriers like limited spare parts and manufacturer resistance pose challenges.

Key quote:

“It’s short-sighted to think all we have to do is install a bunch of panels and it stops there.”

— Tobias Hanrath, professor of engineering at Cornell University

Why this matters:

Repairing instead of replacing creates jobs, strengthens energy security and challenges the throwaway culture that dominates wealthier nations. But to thrive, Africa’s solar revolution needs a system that values keeping things running over tossing them away.

Industrial gas giants quietly outpace tech and oil companies in power use and emissions

Companies producing everyday gases like nitrogen and oxygen are among the world’s largest electricity consumers, responsible for 2% of carbon emissions in China and the U.S. Despite their massive climate footprint, firms such as Linde, Air Liquide, and Air Products have largely escaped public scrutiny.

Read the Full Article on

www.latimes.com

man wearing black t-shirt close-up photography raising his hand in a college classroom

Credit: Felicia Buitenwerf/Unsplash

Climate change ‘is the new liberal arts’: Colleges build environmental lessons into degrees

The University of California, San Diego, is among a growing number of colleges requiring all undergraduates to take courses on climate change, reflecting a shift in higher education toward preparing students in every field to understand and respond to the global climate crisis.

Read the Full Article on

hechingerreport.org

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