energy4everyone Foundation: Connecting Ghanaians to the grid

Enbridge-supported organization teams up for unique solar project in sub-Saharan Africa

Having once spent three months on a volunteer project in rural Uganda, in a community where no foreigner from the West had ever visited, Kelly Sullivan understands the challenges facing many African countries.

Aside from widespread poverty, many nations in sub-Saharan Africa lack even the most basic infrastructure and services, whether it’s roads or access to electricity.

So when the opportunity when came up to volunteer on a solar energy project in Ghana as part of a mission by the energy4everyone Foundation, Sullivan jumped at it.

“For me, it stems from why I became an engineer in the first place,” says Sullivan, an Enbridge project engineer based in Minnesota.

Sullivan is one of six Enbridge employees from the U.S. and Canada who will soon bring electricity to a number of communities in Ghana.

Founded in 2009, and supported by Enbridge and its 11,000 employees, e4e works with third-party project delivery partners to improve access to affordable, sustainable and reliable energy for those who need it most. The foundation has been working in Ghana since it began, distributing energy-efficient cook stoves to women working in markets in both Accra and Tamale.

Now, e4e has partnered with social enterprise Persistent Energy Ghana (PEG) for a unique solar project that will generate both electricity and jobs. The project will bring solar energy to 1,800 people living in 10 villages — people who presently rely on batteries, candles, and kerosene for lighting.

“They’re moving up the energy ladder, but in a way that’s affordable,” says Joanne Gardner, Executive Director of e4e. “It’s helping communities help themselves.”

Nearly 300 solar systems are being deployed to the central region of Ghana, where as many as 1.5-million households are not connected to the grid. Households will be able to connect to a centrally operated module in their village and access electricity on a pay-per-use basis. The model has greater potential for positive change, reducing the barriers to electricity access. Electricity use and access can grow with the customers.

“It’s basically investment and business development,” says Gardner, adding e4e is funding the up-front cost of the solar systems.

Enbridge volunteers, including Sullivan, will assist PEG with the installation and initial set-up of the systems during their trip to Ghana. They will also interview households, collecting and analyzing information about how the systems are being utilized. This feedback will help provide an understanding how people are benefiting from the systems or learn about the barriers to access.