Friday 31 July 2015

Scottish programme boosts electricity access in Malawi

Around 80,000 people in Malawi have improved access to electricity due to a Scottish programme.

The Malawi Renewable Energy Acceleration Programme (MREAP), led by the University of Strathclyde, invested £2.3 million in renewable projects across the African country.

It stated facilities in schools, health clinics and households have reliable access to sustainable energy.

The works included the installation of efficient cook stoves, solar pumps, solar panels for electricity and biogas digesters.

It also launched a two-year postgraduate degree in renewable energy and an entrepreneurship fund to let Malawi's communities own their energy systems.

In addition, it included a detailed analysis of the potential for large scale wind energy projects in the country.

The MREAP claims the scheme has been recognised by the UN.

Professor Graeme Burt, Co-director of the Institute for Energy and Environment at the University of Strathclyde said: "Malawi now has a strong evidence base on which effective scaled-up programmes can be built, impacting the lives of many more families in rural Malawi through community-based solar panels or large commercial scale wind energy."