Tierra Grata - Colombia
RELIABLE & CLEAN ENERGY ACCESS FOR FAMILIES, BUSINESSES & INSTITUTIONS
In the case of Colombia, over 3% of the population lacks access to electricity, resulting in more than 450,000 households without coverage, particularly in rural areas. More than 450,000 Colombian families rely on candles, diesel lamps, or other inefficient, costly, and environmentally harmful light sources. These families reside in marginalized, isolated, and hard-to-reach communities, often remaining unconnected to the electrical grid due to the prohibitive costs of installing the necessary poles and cables.
Impact
The project significantly reduces emissions by transitioning remote rural communities from traditional energy sources to solar power through a Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) model and solar microloans. Here's how this approach contributes to emission reduction:
Substituting Fossil Fuels: Communities off the grid often rely on polluting energy sources like kerosene, wood, and diesel generators. Switching to solar energy directly reduces the burning of these fuels, thus lowering CO2 emissions and other pollutants.
Preventing Deforestation: Using wood for energy contributes to deforestation, which not only increases CO2 emissions from burning but also decreases forests' carbon sequestration capabilities. Solar energy offers a clean alternative, helping conserve forests.
Making Clean Technology Accessible: The PAYGO model and solar microloans make solar energy affordable for those with limited purchasing power, speeding up the adoption of clean technologies in communities that otherwise couldn’t afford the switch due to high upfront costs.
Improving Indoor Air Quality: Moving away from indoor use of polluting fuels like kerosene improves air quality within homes, indirectly reducing emissions by decreasing reliance on such fuels.About Tierra Grata
Since 2016, at Tierra Grata, we have been working with decentralized, environmentally sustainable, and economically affordable solutions to reach the last mile of these off-grid rural homes. We achieve this through decentralized solar energy systems, enabling families to transition from using candles and lamps (powered by diesel or batteries) to illuminating their nights with renewable energy. This not only increases their productive hours, allowing them to generate higher incomes but also enhances their well-being and sense of security.
Downloads
Project description (download.pdf)