| You are thinking about sponsoring the installation of a solar hot water system in Southern Africa? | |||
| There are at least six strong reasons for giving support to the promotion of solar water heating in the Southern African region: | |||
| 1. | Solar energy is the most inexhaustible and environment-friendly form of energy. If you are looking for a sustainable project in Africa, support the use of solar energy. | ||
| 2. | Africa gets on average twice as much solar radiation as the industrialized North. | ||
| 3. | Generation and transmission of electric power can not cope with growth of population. | ||
| 4. | Electricity is needed for industrial development whereas solar energy is there to be exploited for water heating, cooking and lighting. | ||
| 5. | Hot water and lights are essential to hospitals, old people’s homes and orphanages and can only be guaranteed by installing solar systems. | ||
| 6. | Manufacture and installation of solar components creates regional employment. | ||
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Many people hesitate when being asked for a donation to an African hospital, home or school. The applicants for financial assistance to the purchase of a solar hot water system have to meet stringent criteria to be accepted into the Austrian Solar Project and to be made public on this website. They must have a history of good leadership and sound financial management. The candidates should preferably come from the private sector in order to minimise the risk of state interference and party politics. In the case of the Austrian Solar Project, the funds are well looked after by a renowned Austrian organisation and by a group of individuals. Together with the funds from the Austrian government they remain in an Austrian account to be used for the purchase of the equipment after all paperwork has been completed. The recipients of the medium-size solar hot water systems need not order any components and no payments have to be made by them towards the installers as the local project office takes care of all installation-related bills. As experience shows, a practical balance has been found between absolute financial transparency and excessive and expensive bureaucracy. |
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