When it comes to expanding the use of renewable energy to produce electricity in Papua New Guinea (PNG), its government has industrious plans. It aims to supply power to 70% of the country’s population by 2030 and reach 100% by 2050. In a nation where, at this time, only 20% of people have access to reliable electricity, this scheme would change lives. Solar energy plays a big part in that transition and aids in bridging PNG’s healthcare inequality gap and fighting gender-based poverty.

Keeping the Lights on To Save Lives

According to the World Bank, about 85% of PNG’s citizens live in rural communities. For that populace, receiving medical treatment can often be a toil due to a lack of transport infrastructure or struggling health care facilities. This has led to plights such as low children vaccination rates and insufficient care for expecting mothers and as a consequence, PNG has one of the highest documented mortality rates for both groups in the Western Pacific region.

One solution to these problems is to supply clinics with their own energy sources, which is exactly what one hospital in the Nipa-Kutubu district located in the Southern Highlands province did. The Pimaga Rural Hospital frequently had to refer patients to the Mendi General Hospital, which was two hours away.

However, with help from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Santos, an international energy corporation, the Pimaga Rural Hospital installed 207 solar panels on its roof. With an uninterrupted flow of electricity, the hospital can now provide consistent treatments and care.

Solar Power for Equality

High maternal mortality rates are just one of the health issues that women living in provincial PNG face. Because women are often responsible for most household chores, they are at a higher risk of lung illnesses caused by air pollution from wood cooking stoves. Arduous domestic duties also mean that women don’t have as much time to partake in economic opportunities.

For women in PNG, the cycle of poverty can begin at a young age since daughters are usually their mothers’ helpers. Consequently, girls are excluded from education and have more limited prospects. Solar energy would provide a means to not only create safer and healthier living environments, but it could also cut labor for women and girls, leaving them to pursue educational or economic endeavors.

The organization Solar Buddy is part of the effort to electrify PNG and saw that solar panels could also help women who run small businesses from their homes, which mainly consist of selling homemade goods. According to Solar Buddy, “solar lighting access can allow women to draw in more customers and extend their working hours.” Having an income can give women financial freedom and lift them and their families out of poverty.

Conclusion

Harnessing the sun’s power isn’t the only renewable energy option in Papua New Guinea: hydropower, geothermal resources and wind turbines could also be utilized to reach PNG’s clean energy goals. During the development time of larger projects, mini-solar grids can provide easier access for impoverished regions to improve the quality of life of the people who inhabit them.

– Melissa Harper-France

Melissa is based in Saint Paul, MN, USA and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr