This is what we are trying to do! The image on the right side is from Jabula, a small informal settlement in Cape Town where Zonke Energy installed an experimental solar microgrid. We are adding to this work by installing, in another settlement, a larger microgrid – a way of providing clean, renewable energy to local households, generating savings compared to fuels that would otherwise need to be burnt in the home. And since we know that energy infrastructures and wellbeing are mutually linked, we’re assessing how the installation and operation of the microgrid affects wellbeing. We’re doing this digitally, by using smartphone-based data collection in partnership with NGO the Thrie Energy Collective, and with the local community.
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