Dominican Republic. The Sur FuturoFoundation, dedicated to the development of the southern region of the Dominican territory, will start with the support of the European Union a project that will use solar power as a community renewable energy system.
The schedule plans to install in three years lighting systems in homes, energy for night educational services, refrigeration for shops and food preservation in schools, as well as stoves and water purification systems.
The project called Facilidad Sur Solar will focus on improving the quality of life of the population with fewer resources in the provinces of Azua, San Juan, Barahona and Bahoruco, especially in mountainous areas that are not supplied by the networks of the national electricity system.
The European Union contributed 1.8 million euros (about US$2.3 million) to this development plan that quantitatively will mean an energy endowment for more than 500 families; likewise, 1,330 will benefit from the water purification system and another 1,995 will reduce the use of firewood and charcoal with efficient stoves.
The fact that the lighting, cooling and water purification systems are powered by solar energy, in addition to benefiting the population and its economic activity, represents a positive contribution to the environment.
