Electriciens sans frontières and Novéa Énergies : a partnership to bring light to all those who need it

Since 1986, Electriciens sans frontières volunteers have worked to make access to clean energy a concrete reality for all populations of the planet, even the most disadvantaged. A lot of public lighting projects have been realised in various contexts. After several successful collaborations, Electriciens sans frontières and Novéa Énergies formalised their partnership in 2019.

Public lighting: an essential condition for the safety of people

The experience of Electriciens sans frontières in humanitarian crisis situations, whether in refugee camps or in areas devastated by earthquakes or hurricanes, show that public lighting systems are essential to ensure safety of populations in distress. To stop the violence, which particularly affects women and children during their outing, it is necessary to restore light sources in the streets, near shops, and at latrines and water access points. Solar street lights appear to be a particularly suitable technology, since their installation can be done regardless of the existence or proper functioning of an electricity grid.

The importance of access to street lighting, which was really not seen as a basic need, is starting to be recognized.

Following the passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria in the West Indies in 2017, several dozen Novéa Énergies solar street lights were installed, allowing the inhabitants of the islands of Dominica and Saint Martin to find safe and comfortable traffic conditions. Due to the high risk of cyclones in this region, the photovoltaic panels of the streetlights are removable, so that they can be stored in a safe place in the event of an alert.

Lighting facilitates the extension of economic and social activities in the evening

In isolated rural areas of Africa, the lack of access to electricity represents a brake on the economic and social development of the populations: the villages are not connected to an electricity grid, public lighting is totally absent, and once night has fallen it is very difficult to move around, which penalises the organisation of social or economic activities.

The energy access projects realised by Electriciens sans frontières volunteers particularly target collective structures that provide basic needs, such as health centers or schools. Often, these projects include the installation of lampposts around these structures, with a choice of equipment adapted to each context.

For example, Electriciens sans frontières has deployed small public lighting networks, connected to solar power plants, in six villages in Madagascar. Thanks to these lampposts, the residents can move around safely and economic and social activities can continue after dark. A retailer from the village of Antsampandrano explains: “The return of security to the village is the main factor for the success of the project. The creation and improvement of the activity dependent on the network is the essential element to make the project last. Strengthening the financial means of consumers helps the sustainability of the project ”.

In Togo, Electriciens sans frontières volunteers are finalising an energy and water access project in the village of Tokpli. The public square will be equipped with solar street lights, supplied by Novéa Énergies, which will make it possible to both secure walk after dark and organize a market, thus promoting the social and economic life of the village.

To be sustainable, the deployment of a public lighting system cannot be improvised

In early April, the president of Electriciens sans frontières and the sales manager of the Africa area of Novéa Énergies participated in a workshop devoted to solar public lighting, as part of the day “Francophone economic meeting on the theme of access to energy in Africa” organised by the International Association of Francophone Regions.

On this occasion, two recommendations were formulated based on the various experiences of Electriciens sans frontières:

• Contracting authority of public lighting projects must be trained so that their specifications are appropriate and demanding. The guide published in February 2019 on autonomous solar street lights, under the leadership of INES and the International Solar Alliance, is to this end a valuable tool;
• The equipment used must be well sized and of high quality; for solar street lights, it is essential to only use batteries designed to last (for example lithium batteries, whose estimated service lives are more than 20 years), in order to avoid equipment being unusable after only a few years, or even a few months, of operation.

Electriciens sans frontières and Novéa Énergies: a partnership that amplifies the significance. of our joint actions!

Novéa Énergies equipment has already been successfully installed by the volunteers of Electriciens sans frontières on several continents, in crisis contexts or for long-term projects.

After these successful collaborations, a partnership was formalised in 2019 between the NGO Electriciens sans frontières and the company Novéa Énergies, as part of the Novéa’s societal commitment and patronage policy.

Our two organisations adopt the same technical approach for the sizing and installation of public lighting installations, but above all they share common values: solidarity, creativity, and skill, to enable the most isolated and most disadvantaged populations to have long-term access to light!