New Energy Solar and Australian charity SolarBuddy have announced a new partnership that will see more than 20,000 lightweight solar lights delivered to rural communities in Papua New Guinea and parts of Africa over the next three years. This will provide approximately 60,000 children living in energy poverty with safe solar lighting to further their educational opportunities.

Energy poverty is a lack of access to safe, reliable and modern electricity that particularly affects isolated and disadvantaged communities. Energy poverty impacts whole communities but especially children, preventing them from doing their homework and depriving them of the opportunity to learn, thrive and lift themselves out of poverty.

Renewable technology can easily be made available in many parts of the world to replace dangerous and harmful products like kerosene as an energy source.

“Globally it is estimated that 1.4 billion people do not have access to modern electricity. This is a staggering figure particularly given that we have technology and the means to alleviate the energy burden of all people,” says SolarBuddy chief executive Simon Doble.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with New Energy Solar and with their support we’ll be able to reach thousands more children, providing them with a solar light to assist them to study and learn long after the sun goes down, and to improve their overall health and wellbeing. It really is up to innovative partnerships to drive the way in the renewable energy space. We can’t wait for governments as too often partnerships collapse with policy or party change so it’s really up to us to lead the charge and get the job done.”

Solar energy has the potential to transform lives in a way that is not only cheap, easily constructed and transported but also free from the environmental cost of traditional energy sources. The partnership between New Energy Solar and SolarBuddy will help to end the devastating cycle of energy poverty for the world’s most marginalised communities.

“We are really pleased to have formed this alliance with SolarBuddy and to have become one of their corporate partners. There is a real meeting of the minds between our organisations with respect to the simplicity and utility of solar power,” says New Energy Solar chief executive John Martin.