Solar energy distributors Phaesun GmbH from Memmingen/Germany have accomplished the "Green Power" project in August 2011 together with the initiative "Students in Free Enterprise" (short: SIFE) launched by the University of Regensburg. The projectsupports the Romani population in Romania providing 30 households in the villages Rosia, Nou and Daia in Transylvania with PicoPV systems for off-grid power supply.
Phaesun donated the PicoPV systems. They provide a reliable electrical illumination and the possibility to load mobile phones and operate other small electrical applications. The SIFE students have been trained in the installation and reparation of the systems by Phaesun and immediately passed their knowledge on to the local project management in Romania where they could also practise their skills on the spot.
"The Romani population is still discriminated against in Romania. Most settlements are not on the national power grid and children are often denied access to education which results in problems such as high unemployment rates and alcoholism", explains Daniel Kaiser, SIFE project manager.
"We have developed a holistic concept to support the Romani families emphasising education, electrification and the generation of incomes and started to realise the project in March 2011. With our project, we can make a contribution to improve the living conditions of the Romani families in the long run."
System maintenance carried out by local project partners
The project partners in Romania include the local administration, the author Eginald Schlattner, as well as two students from Rosia majoring in electrical engineering who are now able to finance their studies by a scholarship and the operation of a charging station. They are responsible for the proper functioning of the systems in the villages and operate central charging stations in grocery stores where households without electricity can reload their mobile phones and lamps with integrated batteries at a small charge.
Tobias Zwirner, managing director of Phaesun GmbH explains: „We are familiar with the problems occurring in Romania since we have already realised several projects related to off-grid power supply in cooperation with local partner enterprises there before. The Romani population is often excluded from services to the public and settlements often have no access to the grid. PicoPV-systems for the efficient supply of small loads offer a good chance to cover the basic electricity needs and can be extended according to the users’ requirements.“