In rural Ethiopia at night, the only light comes from kerosene lamps or candles, making it dangerous due to the risk of fires and at the same time the emitted fumes  can lead to health problems.
Up to now there were no other affordable and clean alternatives, far from the big city and with no resources to buy anything better people kept on living with what they had or migrating to bigger towns.
But something has slowly started to change in some communities.
When the town of Rema had the chance to choose between a diesel generator for the village or a small solar-home-system, they chose the second alternative, and this decision changed the life of 10,000 people.
Stiftung Solarenergie,The Solar Energy Foundation has developed high-quality
solar-home-systems and solar lanterns and in 2005, a small trial was started in
the Ethiopian village of Kechemober. The people of Rema went to see the systems working and were very impressed. The system generates power from sunlight and has a rechargeable battery which stores electricity so that it can be used during both day and night. It provides light for a minimum of four hours per day, with the possibility of connecting a radio or music system for short periods as well.  The battery is expected to last for five years and the module that generates electricity will last about 10 years. The Foundation has also installed a solar powered water pump in Rema, to provide fresh drinking water to the village. While the original cost of the installation was paid with a donation, the maintenance of the system is paid by the villagers, the monthly cost is approximately 1 dollar. This fee is used to pay the local technicians for regular maintenance work, and also to pay for replacement parts. 

In future villages, owners will also pay for the capital cost of the system, either directly or through a loan but even with that, the cost of having the solar system will be equal or lower than the actual spending in kerosene and batteries than villagers have normally to incur to have some form of energy.
The systems are imported from Germany but assembled and controlled in Ethiopia and the technicians are local people trained in country.
This new form of electricity has already changed the life of the village. People are healthier, they can stay up late working or studying and even there are now evening classes to teach adults to read.
And all this with the benefit that the energy is renewable, and totally clean, which will help the environment in the long term.
The Foundation has won an Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy in 2009 and the project is supported by The Clinton Foundation. 
Here is the video:

If you want to read more about this project:
2009 Ashden Awards case study:The Solar Energy Foundation (.pdf)
Light for Education II: Rema Ethiopia (.pdf)

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