Promoting global energy equity
Marginalized and frontline communities disproportionately bear the negative health and economic impacts of fossil fuel pollution and climate change. These communities also tend to lack the resources and opportunities to access clean energy and its benefits. With Sphere One, Edwin is determined to fight these inequities, one project at a time. “My goal is to find the people most affected and most marginalized by climate change and focus my efforts there, where they can have the greatest impact,” he said.
For example, a 9 kW solar array paired with batteries now provides reliable electricity to a rural environmental school in Puerto Rico, where the electrical grid infrastructure was destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017. “The school had lost power for about 14 months,” said Edwin. “It was important to us to find a way to ensure energy resilience for the students and teachers, regardless of grid issues in the future.”
Sphere One is currently working on building a solar-powered well for a school in Kenya, where the students spend hours every week walking to a gas-powered well or risk their health drinking contaminated water from a local river. “This is a really remote part of the world with few resources,” Edwin commented. “A solar-powered well will make a huge impact for the health and future of these kids.”
Edwin collaborates closely with local and global partners to identify target communities and finance and build projects. Funding comes mostly through donations and grants, but Sphere Solar also contributes a set portion of its profits to financing Solar One’s international projects.