Infrastructure Day and night, the sun is running the health centre

In the South of the Sahara, nature certainly does not offer its most generous living conditions for humans. But one resource is abundant: Sun.

Since the first solar panels were installed in 2012, Nakamtenga has favoured the idea to become independent of the somewhat unreliable national electricity network. Now, yet another important step has been taken when the entire roof of the health clinic has been covered with panels. Furthermore, equipped with a new generation of more efficient batteries.

When the Sahel sun is up, it will not only run the clinic but also charge the batteries. And should it be covered by clouds or a sandstorm long enough for the batteries to diminish, the power lines passing the village on the main road will take over – providing electricity and re-charging the system. There are frequent power cuts in a rural area like Nakamtenga but these new panels should guarantee that the health clinic always has a reliable back-up.

– This is a fantastic improvement. We will generate our own power to secure fridges with vaccines and all other key equipment of the health centre, says Stina Berge, Yennenga’s Secretary General, who witnessed on site how the panels were put in place.

Everything was done locally, the panels bought in the capital Ouagadougou and then assembled by Yennenga employees.

Unreliable power is a hampering factor all over Africa. Mostly visualised with black smoke and grumbling noise from diesel generators. These fuel consumers and air polluters actually run a lot of everyday life, from hairdressers to food stores, from garages to building sites.

With a diesel generator as backup, you also depend on transport, there must be fuel enough in the country and there must be lorries distributing it. Now, whatever crisis should occur in the future, the village health clinic will always be able to operate.

– Corona made it even more clear: resilience in a society is about not being dependent on the state or other actors, when it comes to the most basic human needs! Even if we are cut-off from the world in another lock down, we will be self-reliant when it comes to energy so that we can keep the health centre functioning and charge our phones so that we can communicate and receive important information.