Month: November 2020

On November 26th, 4000 units of pay-as-you-go(PAYG) solar home systems have been loaded in a total of 4 containers, being shipped to Burkina Faso in West Africa, and they are also the last four out of eleven 40HQ containers shipped to Africa and Oceania in November. Thus Solar Run Energy has successfully made the delivery of solar lighting systems for rural electrification in Burkina Faso on time with high quality after the last container sealed.

(Solar Run solar home system)

Burkina Faso is one of the least electrified countries globally, currently at 19% overall, with 60% of the urban and only 3% of the rural population connected to electricity. The government has made the plan to reach a global 95% electricity access (50% in rural areas) by 2030. The Government also set a target of 50% Renewable Energy in the electric mix by 2030. Nonetheless, off-grid products often offer a quicker and more affordable option to provide modern lighting and energy services to a rural population, something that the Government of Burkina Faso recognizes, and is working together with sectors in the solar home system industry to support.

(Solar Run solar home system)

One of the reasons that make Solar Run Energy win project launched from the government is because Solar Run’s products have competitive price but with no compromise on the quality, so the end-users could enjoy the most cost-effective solar energy device, and Solar Run’s solar generator also enable the government helps more people who live in off-grid areas with less expense. Especially with prepaid solar power devices, users will no more face the issue of limited cash for the upfront cost, but replaced by the affordable financing way by using Solar Run’s products.

(PAYG solar home system for off-grid areas)

Solar Run Energy is one of the leaders of the solar home system industry, focusing on the qualified products that meet Lighting Global (Verasol) Standard. All of Solar Run’s products are certified or in the process of being certified by Verasol. We are targeting to be an important participant, working with the UN, World Bank and other international organizations, to achieve SDG7 (Sustainable Development Goal), ending energy poverty together.

(Solar home system shipped to Africa)

▲UN WOMAN 2020 International Conference on Gender Equality and Corporate Social Responsibility
Image source: UN Women

On November 18th, the “2020 International Conference on Gender Equality and Corporate Social Responsibility and the WEPs Awards Ceremony” hosted by UN Women was held in Beijing. Ms. Smriti Aryal, Head of Office, UN Women China; Mr. Nicolas Chapuis, Ambassador, Head of Delegation of the European Union to China; Mme. Zhang Haidi, Chairperson of China Disabled Persons’ Federation; and Ms. Mu Hong, Director-General, Liaison Department, All-China Women’s Federation delivered speeches or keynote speeches respectively.

▲From top to bottom, from left to right:
Ms. Smriti Aryal, Head of Office, UN Women China;
Mr. Nicolas Chapuis, Ambassador, Head of Delegation of the European Union to China;
Mme. Zhang Haidi, Chairperson of China Disabled Persons’ Federation,
Ms. Mu Hong, Director-General, Liaison Department, All-China Women’s Federation
Image source: UN Women

The themes of the conference were “Building a more resilient economy for women during COVID-19 and beyond” and “Making innovation and technology work for women“. Scholars, entrepreneurs, UN agency managers and NGO leaders were invited to the two panel discussions, and finally an award ceremony for WEPs in China.

During the conferences, UN Women cleverly made use of the meeting site and promoted six companies with women as the main founders, or products specifically for women’s groups to all the guests at the meeting. The name of this event is “She Bounces Back” in which two Solar Run products “Candles Killer“ and “Solar Media” participated.

▲Candles Killer and Solar Media
Image source: UN WOMEN

Candles Killer is a solar lighting product used to replace the traditional lighting of poor families (eg.: candles, kerosene lamps) and focus on improving their quality of life.
Product Highlights:
1. Use mineral water bottles as brackets, and clever design details reduce costs and balance low-income people with affordable prices;
2. The brightness is three times that of candles and kerosene lamps;
3. Two brightness settings, 5~7 hours working time;
4. Solar charging, no electricity fee;
5. The service life exceeds three years. Candles Killer has reached the World Bank Lighting Global quality standard.

Solar Media provides green and clean lighting for the lives of poor families, solving lighting problems while reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Product Highlights:
1. 7-inch display screen provides practical knowledge and broadcasts basic education knowledge, giving impoverished families an additional window of knowledge and reducing illiteracy;
2. Improve awareness of disease prevention and care in poor families, and reduce disease occurrence and mortality;
3. Disseminate economic and production knowledge to help increase the income of poor families.

During the introduction, Ms. Smriti Aryal, Mr. Nicolas Chapuis, and Mme. Zhang Haidi are dedicated to the Solar Run product booth and listened to the product explanations. Ms. Smriti Aryal expressed a strong interest in Candles Killer and praised the thoughtful design concept of Solar Run products mainly for the poor in developing countries.

▲Introduce Candles Killer to Ms. Smriti Aryal
Image source: UN WOMEN

Solar Run mentioned during introducing to the participants that it is precisely because of facing the poorest groups in developing countries that Candles Killer will continue to innovate, reduce costs, and make the final users affordable. It is precisely because these products are related to the lives and livelihoods of the poorest groups that Solar Run will allow the entire series of products to obtain the World Bank Lighting Global verification, regardless of cost, so that the user needn’t worry about the quality. It is precisely because of a clear grasp of the needs of the poorest groups that Solar Run was able to design the Pay-As-You-Go prepayment system under the call of the World Bank so that the users can enjoy the various benefits of solar energy in advance.

▲Solar Run’s products have attracted the attention of many participants
Image source: UN WOMEN

Solar Run is proud of being a one-stop solar solution provider with an international perspective, has long been committed to providing reliable and environmentally friendly solar household systems for off-grid areas in developing countries, improving the quality of life of people lacking electricity.

As they always say, Solar Runs to life.

The Lighting Global program and its regional affiliate programs – Lighting Africa and Lighting Asia – all work to build markets capable of bringing high quality, affordable modern off-grid lighting products to off-grid consumers. Supporting client companies to expand markets for their quality-verified products is a cornerstone of this work.

Client companies become our Program Associates after one or more of their products meet the Lighting Global Quality Standards and the company passes our due diligence screening.

There are two categories of Associates: developers/manufacturers of products that have met the Lighting Global Quality Standards, and distributors of these products. Associates receive global and country-based Associate Services including privileged access to market intelligence reports, business to business linkages, facilitation of access to finance, participation in consumer education campaigns, and general business development support.

We had become Lighting Global Program Associate from September 03rd, 2020. We already have 11 products finish the testing and meet with Lighting Global Quality standard and another 3 family products under testing. These products range from pico (solar reading light, solar torch) to multi-light kit, even to Solar home system to run household appliances (like TV, fan, fridge, barbing kit, sewing machine, etc). We will put more and more energy and effort into promoting the rapid development of the off-grid solar industry together with Lighting Global Program.

01. Solar Run participated in the workshop

On November 3, UNHCR organized a one-day 2020 UNHCR Supply Workshop in Shanghai.

The workshop was led by Goran Stojanovski, Senior Procurement Officer of the UNHCR Asia Pacific, introduced the relationship between the United Nations Refugee Agency and the Chinese market to Chinese suppliers, learned about the problems encountered by companies in participating in the procurement of the UN system, and listened to the opinions of companies present.

The UNHCR’s Global Strategy for Sustainable Energy for 2019-2024 aims to ensure that refugees can safely and sustainably meet their energy needs, minimize the environmental impact, and at the same time improve the protection and well-being of refugees. Solar Run, as a company that provides sustainable energy solutions to the world, also participated in this workshop.

Sivanka Dhanapala, UNHCR Representative in China

Sivanka Dhanapala and John Jiang, the General Manager of Solar Run

This supply workshop was explained by senior officials from the UNHCR headquarter and regions who directly involved in procurement policy formulation and bid evaluation. It introduced in detail the characteristics, bidding rules and regulations of UNHCR’s global procurement. A systematic introduction was made on how Chinese suppliers participate in the procurement work of the UNHCR and the issues involved in the bidding process of international organizations.

02. UNHCR and refugees

On December 14, 1950, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established (referred to as the UNHCR), which is the world’s largest intergovernmental international organization, a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting human rights, and helping refugees, forcibly displaced, and stateless people.

The UNHCR conducts procurement activities around the world every year to help refugees around the world. The goods and services purchased are all-encompassing, including shelters, blankets, food and other necessities, as well as clean drinking water, public sanitation and medical care for the displaced people, also, transportation and assistance programs for those returning home.

In 1979, the UNHCR representative office in China was established. UNHCR has won two Nobel Peace Prizes in 1954 and 1981.

The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees defines refugees as: “Those who have a legitimate fear, due to race, religion, nationality, belonging to a certain social group, or have a certain political opinion, leave the country where they have a nationality, and because of this fear, they are unwilling to accept the protection of the country where they have the nationality.”

The refugee issue is one of the important issues which the international community is facing today. It has existed for a long time in history. In 2019, the number of forcibly displaced persons worldwide was 79.5 million, a record high, including 26 million refugees.

Displaced refugees

03. Where is Home?

“Where is home?”

This is the question that left to the world by the movie “Capernaum” released in 2018, and it is also a microcosm of the real plight which this world left to the 79.5 million refugees.

Stills from the movie “Capernaum”

In the story, Zain’s parents continue to give birth despite their inability to raise and educate. As the eldest son of the family, Zain’s weak shoulders bear the burden of countless lives. In reality outside of the story, Zain was born in Syria in 2004. His true identity is a refugee. He spent eight years sleeping in the open without food or warm clothing. His precocious eyes were selected by director Nadine Labaki to film “children’s helplessness and despair”. And the movie almost reproduced the real-life of Zain and his parents separated and displaced.

The smile at the end of the film is like an aurora in the polar region. This smile is a kind of hope in a sense. Zain has now moved to Norway with the help of the UNHCR and is studying in a local school.

Zain’s story reflects the lives of thousands of refugees, but not everyone is as lucky as Zain.

Zain

Today, with the continuous development of interdependence and globalization, the refugee problem is no longer a one-country problem, but a global problem faced by the international community.

China, as a member of the UNHCR, since the outbreak of COVID-19, the UNHCR headquarters has also purchased a large volume of Personal Protective Equipment from Chinese companies through the UN inter-agency procurement mechanism and shipped them to all over the world, benefiting many parties.

During the epidemic, Mr. Sivanka Dhanapala, the representative of the UNHCR in China, recited this poem “Where the warmth comes from”. The verse soothed the hearts of refugees who are deeply in the epidemic:

“Sometimes, in a dark place,
Just a stranger,
Take out a scarf with even rough stitches,
Say a kind word,
That we have the right to be here,
It warms me in the coldest season. “

Solar Run will also work side by side with the UNHCR to help them light up the “home” of the refugee camp, light up the lamp in their hearts, and light up their path in the dark!