UK company Namene Solar has launched a carbon offsetting project in Namibia, where climate finance will subsidise the sale of the company’s solar lights to rural homes and informal settlements across the country.
The project is the first in the African country to be certified by Gold Standard.
Just over 3% of Namibia’s population use solar to light their homes, with most people living off-grid in rural and peri-urban areas relying on paraffin candles and kerosene lamps for lighting.
Burning these fuels is costly, presents fire risk, is harmful to health and also generates CO2 emissions.
Namene Solar’s project uses climate finance to replace fossil fuel-based lighting with renewable solar lights that provide clean, safe light at a truly affordable price, for the first time.
Namene Solar managing director Patrick Lagrange said: “We’re delighted to receive this certification and now look to rapidly scale the deployment of our lights nationwide across Namibia.
“By unlocking the carbon value of a solar light we can provide clean, affordable light for customers living off-grid and in informal settlements.
“Climate finance schemes like Namene Solar’s are vital to cut carbon emissions and reach the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Our solar lights compensate for carbon emissions, eliminate harmful fuels and improve education and economic outcomes for households.”
Across Namibia 652,000 solar lights will be distributed, avoiding 252,000 tonnes of CO2 and benefitting 1.2 million people.
This is Namene Solar’s second Gold Standard project, following the certification of their Zambian project in December 2020.