As the sun sets, Kobong is shrouded in darkness. Silence descends on the village.

Emerging from the darkness, villagers trickle into the community house. They sit down to hear about the trial phase of electrifying the two villages. The pilot project will scout possibilities for a self-reliant system, where villagers can pay out of their own pockets for the energy supplied. Ministry and Power-Blox staff, supported by the local contractor Sunlabob Renewable Energy Co., Ltd. discuss ways to ensure sustainability of power supply in the two villages.

It's the basic conundrum: Should people be able to afford electricity before it is made available to them, or should we trust that, if power is available to all, villagers will be able to make money and find ways to pay for the electricity?

In other words: Should there be cash first, followed by services, or the other way around? Some villagers have already experienced the benefits electricity can bring, with the help of development projects that have provided them with solar power, free of cost. In the long run, however, these projects have proven insustainable, because they have missed an important point: free energy keeps communities dependent on external aid. When such help ends, the villagers are sitting in the dark again, because they have not had the opportunity to find ways to make enough income to keep the power flowing.

Share this Story

Vanuatu is testing innovative energy solutions