As the planet warms, the lack of critical appliances has increasingly severe consequences, making it harder for people to thrive – and, in some cases, simply survive – in ever-harsher environments. Solar-powered appliances are a promising solution. Martha Wakoli, who works on international NGO CLASP’s clean energy access team in Kenya, explores the potential of this technology.
Sarah Wesseler, CLASP managing editor: Let’s start with some basics about solar appliances. What are they? Why should people who are interested in sustainable development and climate change care about them?
Martha Wakoli: Well, in places like the States or Europe, if you need light, you switch on a light bulb. But in other parts of the world, millions of people don’t have that option—they’re not connected to the electric grid. So they’ve found creative solutions for accessing services like lighting, cooling, and cooking. And that’s where the idea of solar appliances developed.
For a long time, this technology was used for things like charging phones and lighting homes. But increasingly, we’re seeing the potential to power much larger, almost industrial-level processes with solar appliances.There’s more and more research and investment in these kinds of appliances. That opens a whole new pathway of solutions for the millions of people who continue to live without electricity.
Wesseler: When you say these appliances are powered by the sun, how does that work? I’m thinking about the US, where I live: A lot of people have solar panels on their roofs, but they still use standard appliances plugged into standard wall outlets. How are solar appliances different?
Wakoli: Well, with solar appliances, the appliance is connected directly to a solar panel on your roof via a cable. And depending on how many panels you have and how large they are, you could have multiple cables powering multiple appliances at the same time. And for appliances that are used outdoors – water pumps, for example – the cables from the solar panel also run directly to the appliance.
Wesseler: What if the sun’s not out? Can you still run solar appliances then?
Wakoli: Yes. Solar appliances come with a little bit of energy storage, typically in the form of a battery, that allows them to keep functioning when it’s not sunny. For example, solar refrigerators keep things cool even at night.
Wesseler: That all makes sense. But why not just connect more people to the electric grid? Why focus on solar appliances instead?
Wakoli: There are a lot of reasons, but the most important is that it’s typically much more expensive to extend the power grid to far-flung places than it is to provide solar appliances. Solar appliances are more cost-effective in rural areas.
Providing solar appliances is also faster than building out the grid, which takes a long time. This is important given the urgency of the climate disaster, which we’re observing in real time, whether it’s heatwaves in India or droughts in Zambia. People need appliances that can help them adapt to climate change now.
Solar appliances can also help people build climate resilience and empower them to be more active participants in their own development. This kind of resilience is especially important for facilities like schools and hospitals. When floods or droughts make it impossible for them to operate where they are, there’s not much they can do if they rely on the electric grid. But with solar, they can move to a safer location and take their power source with them.
Another reason is that the grid itself is changing. Around the world, we’re preparing for what we’re calling the grid of the future. A lot of people now have electric vehicles, and in some areas, these vehicles can be plugged back into the wall, sending that power back to the grid, right? So you now have a complex bidirectional electric system that’s very different from what has existed for the last 70 years. Instead of having very few energy producers and many consumers, you have a growing number of what’s called “prosumers”: They produce the energy and they’re also consumers. This subset of people is growing everywhere.
**Read the rest of the interview on CLASP’s website. Click here to read
