FRAZER SOLAR
Energy Efficiency
Lesotho
Government of Lesotho
2017-2018
Reduce Electricity Imports
Featured Development Project
Name:
Country:
Client:
Objectives:
The southern African nation of Lesotho is heavily reliant on imported electricity from neighbouring countries. Imported electricity comprised 41% of volume and 86% of cost. This put enormous pressure onto the Government of Lesotho and the state owned Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC). Frazer Solar developed a mutlifaceted project that would dramatically improve the situation by reducing electricity imports.
This involved the installation of solar water heaters, solar PV and LED lights with the provision to incorporate large-scale batteries in off-grid and grid-tied applications.
Frazer Solar developed the entire project including a finance package for the government utilising European and African development banks.
In addition, all 350,000 non-electrified households in the country were to receive a solar lantern with inbuilt mobile phone charger free of charge to the recipients thus eliminating permanently the use of candles and paraffin as a source of lighting.
The entire project was designed to be cash flow positive as the savings from reduced electricity imports would more than offset the costs of the project.
Lesotho Energy Efficiency, Self-Sufficiency & Employment Creation Project
Lesotho
Government of Lesotho
Reduce Electricity Imports, Bolster the Economy, Social Responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility
Frazer Solar incorporates CSR activities across all aspects of its operations and Lesotho was no exception. First and foremost was the inclusion in the project of an initiative to eliminate the use of dirty, dangerous, dim and expensive paraffin and candles as the main source of lighting for the entire country, some 350,000 homes. This was to be achieved by Frazer Solar distributing and delivering a solar lantern with inbuilt mobile phone charger to every non-electrified household in Lesotho, free of charge to the recipient.
In addition, Managing Director Robert Frazer who was based in Lesotho for the duration of the development, participated in weekly aid distributions which over the course of 2017 and 2018 saw food, clothing and blankets delivered to 20,000 families across the country. A selection of photos is shown below.