UNAM Students Create Solar Power for Remote Areas Mexico News Daily
go to original March 21, 2015

Manuel Wiechers and solar panel

As many as half a million Mexican homes have no electricity due to their location in remote, rural and hard-to-access places. For light, they burn candles or oil, which can create health problems.

In those same communities where electrical infrastructure is non-existent, the schools, too, go without. A census of school facilities found 18,000 did not have electricity. But wherever you go, there’s always sunlight.

On that premise, Manuel Wiechers, an engineering student at the National Autonomous University, and seven other budding electrical engineers decided in 2009 they could transform the lifestyles of marginalized communities with renewable energy. They developed a prototype of a mini-solar power plant and began knocking on doors.

...It’s a simple device: a small panel of photovoltaic cells, a battery and a couple of LED lights that will burn all night on a full charge. It has since been installed in 3,500 homes in 254 communities, delivering light to 18,000 people.

Iluméxico sells its product for 3,000 pesos but a key to its sales success in rural areas has been the offer of credit for one year to families with limited resources.

Read the rest at Mexico News Daily

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