GI Energy Remote Power Solutions

Working with VBC to provide free basic electricity to those who need it most.
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GI Energy Remote Power Solutions

OUR MISSION

To provide free, basic electricity for families who do not have the means or access to affordable, reliable energy.

GI Energy is proud to announce the launch of our new division: GI Energy Remote Solutions. This division is dedicated to providing basic electricity to families who cannot access or afford electricity for their home and family.

By the end of February 2020 we aim to have 50 solar kits installed to family houses in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This is free of charge to the families and our partnered charity, VBC.

By the end of 2020 we would like to expand the target to help as many families in developing countries as possible.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
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800,000,000

According to data from the World Bank, Sustainable Energy for All ( SE4ALL ) database, there are approximately 800m people worldwide without access to electricity.

$270

For as little as $270.00 we can provide small solar electric systems for families that provide enough basic electricity to improve the quality of life drastically.

76%

In 1993 only 76% of the global population had access to electricity. Compare that to 2018 and 88% of the population now have access. This shows massive improvement, but there is still a lot than can be done.

The long-term mission is to be able to provide mass solar solutions for communities and families in developing nations who do not have access to grid electricity.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
CHANGE

The two maps below show how the world is changing.

But there is still a lot than can be done.

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Electrification rate, by country, 1993 and 2017. Source: worldbank.org

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The world is changing.

There are heaps of examples over the last twenty years to emulate. Laos and Nepal, went from having nearly no electricity in the year 2000 to both being over 90% electrified in 2017. India and Indonesia, two of the world’s most populous countries, went from about 55% electrified in 2005 to 87% and 95%, respectively, in 2017. And it took Kenya just 10 years to raise the share of its population who had access to electricity from 18% in 2007 to 73% in 2017.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
WHY

1.7 million people in Cambodia do not have access to basic electricity.

Our first project kicks off in Cambodia, where 1.7m people do not have access to basic power supply.

Globally, 1.2 billion people have little or no access to electricity. Eighty-nine (89) percent of the total population of Chad, located in Central Africa, have no access to electric power. This equals over 13 million people.

As you can imagine, it is quite a difficult process to bring grid electricity to remote communities. The cost of building infrastructure in remote places to serve small communities is too high and deemed unfeasible.

Unfortunately, this means that these communities are often left with no access to a basic power supply. Providing electricity, which for us seems impossible to live without, means better sanitation, education and ultimately better health and quality of life for these families.

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A note from our director

In 2012 I visited Cambodia for the first time and saw for myself the extreme poverty a large percentage of the population have to live in. I grew up in one of South Africa’s poorest towns in the 1980s and had travelled to many other developing nations over the years. I was no stranger to poverty or extreme living conditions, but I was deeply distressed by what I saw on my first visit to Cambodia.

When I reflect on this visit it wasn’t the conditions people lived in that affected me so profoundly, as I had seen similar things in Africa, Vietnam, Laos and other developing Nations over the years. The thing that stuck with me and affected me so deeply was the behaviour of the people living in these conditions. They were the most generous and loving people I had ever met. People with so little who just wanted to give so much. In many ways, the happiest people I had ever met with beaming smiles and contagious laughter.

I was only in Cambodia for a short time, but when I left I knew I had to go back and help in my own small way.

In 2014, I returned to Cambodia and met with the founder of Volunteer Building Projects, Sinn Meang. During this time, I helped fund and build a small house for a family to live in. I fell deeper in love with the people, and also learnt more about the problems they face.

Over the next four years, I faced some highs and lows whilst trying to set up systems that enable the exportation of large quantities of solar kits to places like Cambodia and supporting communities like VBC.

Fast forwarded to 2018, GI Energy has taken this task on board and we are excited for what the future holds and to see families enjoying life with valuable sources of electricity.

With your help as a GI Energy customer or just as someone who would like to donate, we can really make a difference.

Would you like to be part of our mission?

For as little as $270, you can provide solar electricity to a family in Cambodia.

Contact us now to find out more.

Be part of our mission.

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    HOW

    By providing small, off-grid solutions we can help enrich the lives of millions.

    Over the last decade, solar panels and batteries have decreased in price dramatically. This opens the door to a genuine opportunity to enrich the lives of millions with small affordable off-grid solutions.

    With the help of VBC, GI Energy is able to support communities in developing countries with solar kits to improve access to electricity.

    Our goal is to donate power solutions to every home VBC builds, which is approximately 100 homes per year.

    Our ultimate aim is to supply the necessary kits to communities around the globe.

    The three-step approach to achieve this goal

    1

    Every commercial solar system we install over 50kW, we will provide free solar electricity to one home in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

    If you are a commercial customer purchasing a solar array of 50kW + we will supply and install a solar system in your name for VBC Cambodia.
    2

    Any GI Energy customer who wishes to help our cause with a donation, we will contribute 50% of the funds necessary to provide solar to one family.

    If you are a GI Energy customer, past or present and wish to help, we will contribute 50% of the funds needed to supply and install a solar system for VBC Cambodia. This means you pay half of the cost, and we pay the other half.
    3

    With the help of our industry partners and the public we intend to increase our target annually.

    We will gradually provide more and more free electricity to homes and communities who need it. We will be working with industry partners and the public to encourage donations to VBC Cambodia and other similar organizations.
    WHO IS VBC?

    Volunteer Building Cambodia aims to better the lives of poor families in rural Siem Reap.

    Volunteer Building Cambodia’s aim is to improve the lives of poor families in rural Siem Reap.

    Founder Sinn Meang started the not-for-profit organisation in 2014 to provide housing, wells, water pumps, and toilet facilities across the community.

    A recent source has shown that about 80 percent of Cambodians live in rural areas, 85 percent of these do not have access to adequate sanitation, and 35 percent have restricted access to safe drinking water. Many families in rural Siem Reap live on less than $1 a day.

    Combining VBC’s and GI Energy’s mission, our goal is to support families that are unable to build their own first homes due to lack of resources.

    Volunteers of VBC help build these homes and are always open-minded and appreciative of valuable team members that would like to lend a helping hand.

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    VOLUNTEER WITH VBC

    Would you like to volunteer with VBC?

    Express interest for volunteering