FROM: Daesung Group

Daesung Group Brightens Ethiopia with Solar Energy

- Supply electricity to 10,000 residents of Bulchana, Boledena Village through solar energy system
- Resolve the problem of water scarcity and waterborne diseases by securing clean drinking water

[October 20, 2011] October 21 was a symbolic date for the 10,000 residents living in rural areas of Ethiopia with no access to electricity and water facilities, for it marked the beginning of their transformation into an advanced society. Through the use of new and renewable energy, every household now has access to light. Moreover, children will no longer have to skip school to walk many kilometers every day carrying water. Instead, they can attend class and return home with water from the water fountains set up in schools. Villagers witnessed this new illumination during test operations where they also celebrated the advances being made in their standard of living. 

Daesung Group (CEO Younghoon David Kim) has completed its Ethiopian Solar Energy Support project where electricity and water are provided to 1,100 households through its new and renewable energy system. A completion ceremony was held at an elementary school in Bulchana on October 21st.

Bulchana and Boledena villages are located approximately 200 km southeast of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa. Although the villages are fairly large in size with 500 households in Bulchana and 600 households in Boledena, they now have access to electricity for the first time as a result of this project. Power supply in Ethiopia is only available to 40% of the population and only 25% of the residents in rural areas have access to clean drinking water.

Daesung Group’s plant construction subsidiary, Daesung Global Network was assigned the task of constructing a facility in a dead zone area, utilizing a new and renewable energy system to supply electricity and clean water to the residents. 64 kW solar power generation facilities were installed in elementary schools in both villages, along with 3 kW solar power generation facilities at the family center and three 200W solar streetlights. Initially, a groundwater pumping system was to be installed, however, due to the shortage of underground water, waterworks pipelines were laid to reach a catchment area 5.6 km away. 

Electric power generated by these facilities will be supplied to elementary schools and home system battery charging facilities. Batteries will be distributed to 1,100 households and each household will be able to turn on one or two electric lights. Since the battery can be used up to 5-6 days after being charged, residents are now able to enjoy activities during the night. This method of supplying electricity to the village residents was selected to minimize electricity expenses since houses are run down and the use of electronic devices is not prevalent.

Drinking fountains were also set up within the schools. Children no longer have to skip school to walk several kilometers to carry water home. Instead, they will now be able to attend class and carry water home from school. Battery charging stations and water supply facilities were built in the schools in order to increase attendance. Women and children walk more than an average of 5 hours a day to carry water in the rural areas of Africa. Nevertheless, there are still many who die from waterborne diseases due to the shortage of clean water. 

The Ethiopian Solar Energy Support project is conducted by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), which is part of LANA: Lighting Asia & Africa, which is led by the Korean National Assembly in an effort to provide solar energy facilities in underdeveloped countries in Asia and Africa. The elementary schools of Bulchana and Boledena Villages were also established by KOICA. Daesung Group began building in June 2010 and was able to resolve electricity and water issues upon completion of construction in a year and four months.

Daesung Group has installed its SolaWin system in Mongolia to prevent desertification and provide electricity and drinking water to the local community. Currently, the supply of new and renewable energy through the SolaWin system has significantly improved the lives of residents in not only Mongolia and Ethiopia, but also other countries such as Kazakhstan and Bangladesh. In addition, other efforts are being made in order to implement the use of SolaWin system in other areas of Africa including the Congo.

Ethiopian soldiers participated in United Nations effort during the Korean War and now the country has a population of over 80 million. Recently, it has achieved a growth rate of more than 10% through the government-led economic growth policy. Its capital Addis Ababa has recently seen a construction boom. However, Ethiopia has a gross domestic product of only 350 dollars per capita, falling behind Africa’s average GDP per capita of 1000 dollars.