photos by
marco garofalo
text by
matteo leonardi
Rent the exhibition
In 2015 ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy has become an UN sustainable development goal to be achieved by 2030. SDG number 7. Energy access is nowadays recognized as a prerequisite to any development target.
Energy portraits is a photography project to represent significant contexts where the energy access challenge takes place. The camera of Marco Garofalo respectfully enters the intimacy of dozens of families in three continents, Africa, South America and India, to picture, with a common format, ordinary families with their electric equipment.
The switch
When we think about having electricity we think of a switch that is either on or off. This usually relates to a connection to a reliable national grid. Across the world this is not always the case, and electricity access may rather be described as an endless number of combinations matching available technology with the specific needs of the consumer.
Over 6 billion people are connected to national grids, this represents more than 80% of the world population. At the other end of the cable we find a number of situations not properly matching the SDG 7 definition of energy access.
“power failures occur when it is not raining as no water remains in the dam, and when it is raining for the frequent short-circuits”
Satellite, Nairobi, Kenya; each member of the family has his or her own pre-paid meter. The kerosene lamp is fought over when money for electricity vouchers runs short and during black outs.
Middle class family in El Alto, La Paz, Bolivia, over 4000m altitude.
Average night temperature between – 4 and 4°. Electricity is available, but for most families it is not affordable for space heating. 12/25€ per month summer/winter time.
“No bill has arrived yet, but we will not be able to afford the service.
We will go back to our 5W solar panel.”
Remote village in Ho province, Ghana. The grid has reached the village and connected the house for free, a few months ago. There is nothing inside the house, no table, no bed.
WHERE MINI GRIDS DARE
Pediatokope island on the Volta river, Ghana. There are places in the world where extending the grid is not a viable option. The IEA estimates that to supply universal electricity access by 2030, an additional 300 million people need to be reached through mini-grid solutions. National policies are increasingly addressing mini-grid regulatory issues, however they rarely address the technical and economic rules related to national grid integration, once available.
Mini-grid tariffs vary widely from case to case. Sometimes they are equal to the national tariff, sometimes they are cost reflective and may exceed 1€/kWh. Sometimes flat tariffs are found and no meter is installed. Minigrids’capacity cost is often an obstacle which makes supplying important services for rural communities not an easy option.
Mini-grid tariffs vary widely from case to case. Sometimes they are equal to the national tariff, sometimes they are cost reflective and may exceed 1€/kWh. Sometimes flat tariffs are found and no meter is installed. Minigrids’ capacity cost is often an obstacle which makes supplying important services for rural communities not an easy option.
A Maasai family enjoying solar mini-grid electricity in Kitumbeine, Northern Tanzania. Although the service is expensive compared to national standards, it is available all the time. The family estimates monthly savings of 60€ compared to the diesel generator.
“I just hope to get home before darkness”
The solar mini-grid of 16kW supplying the village is not powerful enough to operate the indispensable milling machine. Diesel fuel hasn’t arrived today. A Maasai woman can only wait to grind her maize before going home where she still has to light the fire, cook the food and finish all her chores.
Her house is 10km away and is not reached by the mini-grid.
In Bolivia, where 92% of the population has electricity access, hydro minigrids contribute to electrification by connecting remote villages perched on the cordillera.
The Umapalca village in Guanay, Bolivia, can be reached via a 5200m mountain pass. Little chance for the grid to be extended up here.
Since the late eighties, a hydro mini-grid supplies the village with electricity at less than 2€ per month.
The family gathers near the lama-dung fueled stove to enjoy some heat. Lamas supply most of the energy needs of the mountain Aymara tribal groups: wool to weave clothes, dung for cooking and heating and, before the hydro came, fat to light the wick in the darkness of the night. It does not power a TV, charge a mobile phone or activate the mixer.
Cocatajes village, Cochabamba, Bolivia. The hydro station, provides enough power for more demanding electricity service. The presence of a welding machine and a well-equipped carpentry in the village is possible only due to the significant electricity supply.
In the Altaramani community in Amazonas, alongside the river Beni, the population density is not high enough to sustain a mini-grid. Independent solar systems have proven to be the best option for electricity access. Solar equipment costs are still high, given the limited market in a country with high electrification rates. Without a specific energy access policy, as well as economic support, the community is bound to remain in darkness for the time being.
There’s a party tonight and the batteries need to be fully charged
Solomoni shifts the panel to collect the last few rays of the sun.
The 80W panel provided by a start-up company is paid for in monthly installments of 20€, via on-line banking with the phone. The system is managed remotely and maintenance is assured in the middle of the Savannah.
In Tanzania the electrification rate is around 30%. Independent solar systems can be found everywhere on the metal roofs of the countless households without network access.
Alongside shoes, fabric and trousers, a shop sells panels in a village on Kilimanjaro. A small 40W solar system costs around 100€, a gigantic sum in a country where income is very limited.
Solar equipment shop in Arusha, Tanzania. A few years ago, the only option for the 1 billion people worldwide without access was to light a kerosene lamp to get some light in the darkness. It is reported that over 130 million independent solar power systems are already operating in the world.
The photovoltaic cost reduction has opened up new market opportunities.
More and more, photovoltaic technologies are emerging as the best solution where the grid is not available. The scalable size of photovoltaic from few W to kW, makes it a technology to suit every pocket.
solar families
Oldonyosambu, Maasai tribe, Tanzania. N’golupa (scorpion) family in their hut.
The solar panel can charge the family’s mobile phones, which would otherwise have to get charged at the weekly local market for 20€c/each.
A LED light completes the electrical equipment assets.