Village Power Program, a project started by Solar Energy Uganda Ltd. (SEUL) and Solar Assembling Plant for African Villages (SAPFAV), is expanding its operations by assembling small-framed solar panels in the rural areas of Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan. The program aims to provide each household with electricity to operate at least one light and have at least one socket for a small appliance with the overall goal of reaching 300,000 new installations in rural homes by 2015.
Recipients of these panels are considered to have zero-to-average income without access to the grid. Those qualifying pay for the system through village solar owners associations created by SEUL. The program has initiated a surge in demand in the targeted areas, so much so that SEUL and SAPFAV are having difficulty meeting with the $9 million needed to continue the project.
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