Solar energy project to benefit rural areas

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET) and Ministry of Science and Technology have launched a project, Solar Bibi, to help women spread the benefits of solar energy across the rural areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

In a statement issued Tuesday, head of the solar project, Fateema Aneela said the name was chosen to especially target women in rural areas. The programme would teach women to operate and maintain solar charging stations in their homes to earn a decent living.

It would expand to other areas, especially where women were barred from working after sunset due to absence of electricity. She said in coordination with PCRET, around 1,000 women would be trained as Solar Bibis all over Pakistan.

An official of Islamabad Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) said the project would change thousands of lives, especially those of widows who worked hard to make both ends meet.

Training sessions for the programme have already started with an initial batch of 50 Solar Bibis. Islamabad Centre of Information Technology (CIT) Director General Ammar Jaffri said according to the World Bank about 44 percent of households in Pakistan were not connected to the grid and more than 80 percent of those were in rural areas.

“Our target is to provide sustainable energy to off grid areas and we especially want to empower women in these areas through this project,” he said.

With such huge numbers, a project like Solar Bibi had the potential to transform life in rural areas. But most importantly it could empower a lot of women entrepreneurs from the rural areas helping them contribute to the local economy.