begin quote below from above news article:
Environment
Beyond Fossil Fuels
African Huts Far From the Grid Glow With Renewable Power
Ed Ou/The New York Times
Thanks to this solar panel, Sara Ruto no longer takes a three-hour taxi ride to a town with electricity to recharge her cellphone. More Photos »
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Published: December 24, 2010
KIPTUSURI, Kenya — For Sara Ruto, the desperate yearning for electricity began last year with the purchase of her first cellphone, a lifeline for receiving small money transfers, contacting relatives in the city or checking chicken prices at the nearest market.
Beyond Fossil Fuels
Articles in this series examine innovative attempts to reduce the world’s dependence on coal, oil and other carbon-intensive fuels, and the challenges faced.
Ed Ou/The New York Times
Solar power for Ms. Ruto’s hut in Kiptusuri, Kenya, means her toddlers no longer risk burns from a smoky kerosene lamp. More Photos »
Every week, Ms. Ruto walked two miles to hire a motorcycle taxi for the three-hour ride to Mogotio, the nearest town with electricity. There, she dropped off her cellphone at a store that recharges phones for 30 cents. Yet the service was in such demand that she had to leave it behind for three full days before returning.
That wearying routine ended in February when the family sold some animals to buy a small Chinese-made solar power system for about $80. Now balanced precariously atop their tin roof, a lone solar panel provides enough electricity to charge the phone and run four bright overhead lights with switches.end quote.
I have even here in the United States lived at least 10 miles from the nearest gas station or store and without electricity at 4000 feet on 2 1/2 acres on the side of Mt. Shasta in California. Solar power during the 1980s and also cell phones were not available. But I understand how wonderful it would be living that far away from civilization without a telephones or a utility grid of electricity to be able to use charge your cell phone and light your home living this remotely. It would really make a difference both in communication and safety and economically to people all over the world who live remotely.
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