energy4everyone Foundation continues to brighten lives in Peru

Enbridge volunteer employees help install solar light systems in remote village

Whether it’s the light bulb that we read by in bed at night, or the natural gas that fuels the furnace to keep our houses warm, life takes energy.

This is true everywhere around the world – but how energy is generated, and sustained, can dramatically affect the quality of that life.

“It really is such an important part of our lives and makes so many things possible,” says Chris Meyer, acting executive director of the Enbridge-supported energy4everyone Foundation.

Meyer saw evidence of that firsthand when she travelled with eight Enbridge employees who recently volunteered for an energy4everyone mission to a remote Peruvian village. The group arrived in South America earlier this fall for the second phase of a project organized by energy4everyone and Canadian charity Light Up The World. The project began in April 2014 and is aimed at bringing electricity to a rural community high among the Andes Mountains.

Some 30 households were outfitted with solar systems last spring, and more were installed this fall – bringing to more than 200 the number of individuals directly benefiting from the program.

“Being in a community that was remote and without access to electricity, it was really quite amazing to see how much of a difference the solar installation was making in people’s lives,” says Meyer.

Founded in 2009, and supported by Enbridge and its 11,000 employees, energy4everyone works with third-party project delivery partners to improve access to affordable, sustainable, and reliable energy in the developing world. More than 60,000 people in five countries, including Tanzania, Nicaragua, Ghana, Costa Rica, and Peru, have benefited from energy4everyone initiatives.

In Peru, most of the beneficiaries inhabit a modest one- or two-room home made of adobe bricks with dirt floors.

“Nothing can prepare you for actually being there in person and seeing for yourself,” says Stacey Bisch, an Edmonton-based pipeline inspection co-ordinator who was among the Enbridge employees who volunteered for this fall’s energy4everyone mission.

There are often few, if any, windows to allow in natural light – forcing residents to rely on candles, or kerosene- or battery-powered lights, at night or while indoors.

Having electricity reduces the need for batteries, which were also used to power radios that now run on solar energy. That will not only positively impact the environment, but help residents reduce their household expenses, saving them as much as $26 each month — a considerable cost for the poor rural families who primarily subsist off the land and raise livestock. Community members also benefit from having outdoor light to protect livestock from predators.

While installing the solar systems, the Enbridge volunteers worked alongside community members who were being trained as technicians, so they can manage maintenance locally, making this a truly sustainable program.

“We just take so much for granted in North America,” says Meyer. “It was quite a privilege to be able to help bring energy to other people in our global community."