Flag

An official website of the United States government

Solar power gives light and jobs where both are most needed
2 MINUTE READ
February 17, 2017

It’s a community effort in Seaview, in Nelson Mandela Bay on South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Mongezi Gobodo, an electrician for Mandela Bay Electrical (MBE), trains local residents to install solar panels in communities that aren’t connected to the power grid.

“Now we’ve got the solar panels, and they are working so nice for me,” Pinky, a Seaview resident, says. And it’s much safer for the children.

People use electricity now instead of dangerous candles or paraffin lamps. MBE project manager Severiano Terblanche says, “They are definitely a happy community after the solar panel has been installed.”