Renewable Energy-based Rural Electrification

The project aims at reducing Lesotho’s energy-related CO2 emissions by introducing renewable energy technologies as a substitute for fossil fuel (paraffin and diesel) in rural areas remote from the national electricity grid and improving people’s livelihoods by improving their access to and affordability of modern energy services. In addition, the project will decrease the growing number of rural poor, adults and children alike, who contract respiratory and eye problems due to prolonged exposure to paraffin smoke and soot (poor indoor air quality). The activities proposed in the project are designed to remove barriers to the wide-scale utilisation of renewable energy technologies (PV, wind and mini hydro) to meet the basic electricity needs of households, small businesses and of community users like health clinics and schools, initially in the Mokhotlong district, but eventually in the whole country.