1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:16,558 --> 00:00:18,727 I'm Scott Tinker and I study energy. 4 00:00:21,229 --> 00:00:25,400 I was in remote Colombia to visit a family living without modern energy of any kind. 5 00:00:52,427 --> 00:00:54,929 This is the farm of an Arhuaco tribal elder. 6 00:00:55,430 --> 00:00:56,264 I'm Scott. 7 00:00:56,598 --> 00:00:57,932 He lives here with his wife... 8 00:00:58,433 --> 00:01:01,269 Their daughters and their husbands, and lots of grandkids. 9 00:01:03,605 --> 00:01:04,272 Hi. 10 00:01:05,273 --> 00:01:06,441 [foreign language] Alright. 11 00:01:07,942 --> 00:01:10,445 Using farming methods passed down over centuries, 12 00:01:10,612 --> 00:01:12,947 the Arhuacos can grow everything they need. 13 00:01:13,615 --> 00:01:15,450 [foreign language] 14 00:01:28,129 --> 00:01:29,297 Beans, bananas... 15 00:01:31,299 --> 00:01:36,554 And coffee. [chuckle] So this feeds everybody. 16 00:01:37,806 --> 00:01:39,766 What is this? 17 00:01:42,811 --> 00:01:44,229 For grinding? 18 00:01:47,816 --> 00:01:48,858 Alright, here we go. 19 00:01:49,818 --> 00:01:54,823 Everything here is produced with manual labor. This press is their only machine. 20 00:01:55,156 --> 00:01:56,491 Put your back in it. 21 00:02:11,339 --> 00:02:13,466 What did we make, sugar cane? 22 00:02:15,844 --> 00:02:17,303 It's good? 23 00:02:17,303 --> 00:02:19,514 [foreign language] 24 00:02:19,681 --> 00:02:21,432 I'll try it. 25 00:02:25,353 --> 00:02:30,692 That's good. I wouldn't drink it every night, but it's pretty good. 26 00:02:31,526 --> 00:02:32,527 Gracias. 27 00:02:33,194 --> 00:02:34,863 [foreign language] 28 00:02:34,863 --> 00:02:37,365 I think he's done this before, look at that. 29 00:02:39,868 --> 00:02:41,202 [foreign language] 30 00:02:44,539 --> 00:02:47,876 Oh wow, that's beautiful. 31 00:02:56,050 --> 00:02:56,885 Eat it? 32 00:03:01,222 --> 00:03:05,226 That's good. That's very good. 33 00:03:06,060 --> 00:03:09,397 This seems like a pretty good life but it's a hard life. 34 00:03:09,731 --> 00:03:13,067 Only half of the Arhuaco children will make it to adulthood. 35 00:03:20,575 --> 00:03:24,579 Inside this hut, it was around 120 degrees and filled with smoke, 36 00:03:24,579 --> 00:03:28,416 from their only energy source, fire. 37 00:03:28,416 --> 00:03:32,754 Very little windows. What is this hanging above the fire? 38 00:03:34,255 --> 00:03:34,923 Banana. 39 00:03:35,089 --> 00:03:36,925 Bananas, smoked bananas. 40 00:03:38,927 --> 00:03:41,596 Mais. Secar mais. 41 00:03:41,596 --> 00:03:49,604 Oh, they dry corn. That makes sense. Muchas gracias. Muchas gracias. 42 00:03:51,439 --> 00:03:54,609 The Arhuacos still get all of their energy from burning wood, 43 00:03:54,609 --> 00:03:57,946 and you might think they're a fairly isolated case. 44 00:04:02,617 --> 00:04:08,289 But in fact, there are one billion people in rural Latin America, Africa, and Asia 45 00:04:08,289 --> 00:04:10,124 who live like the Arhuacos do 46 00:04:10,124 --> 00:04:13,962 with no electricity or modern energy of any kind. 47 00:04:16,130 --> 00:04:19,467 There are another one billion people, most of them urban, 48 00:04:19,467 --> 00:04:23,805 with limited energy that's often unaffordable or dangerous. 49 00:04:24,639 --> 00:04:27,809 Nearly all of these people and a few hundred million more 50 00:04:27,809 --> 00:04:32,981 still burn wood, straw, dung or and other biomass for cooking or heating 51 00:04:32,981 --> 00:04:35,316 and suffer from breathing its smoke. 52 00:04:35,817 --> 00:04:40,989 These two plus billion people worldwide live in what the UN calls energy poverty. 53 00:04:42,991 --> 00:04:48,162 That's nearly a third of the planet without access to safe, affordable, reliable energy. 54 00:04:49,998 --> 00:04:51,165 In our last film, Switch, 55 00:04:51,833 --> 00:04:55,169 we looked at the continuing energy transition in the developed world. 56 00:04:55,837 --> 00:04:58,339 We'll now focus on a more profound transition 57 00:04:59,007 --> 00:05:01,676 for the people moving out of energy poverty 58 00:05:01,676 --> 00:05:04,679 and beginning to receive the many benefits that energy brings. 59 00:05:07,015 --> 00:05:12,186 We'll go to Ethiopia, and Kenya, and Vietnam 60 00:05:12,687 --> 00:05:16,524 to see how large new grid-connected electricity projects 61 00:05:16,524 --> 00:05:18,526 will power mostly urban citizens. 62 00:05:19,527 --> 00:05:21,863 We'll go to Colombia and to Kenya again, 63 00:05:22,196 --> 00:05:27,368 to meet rural people getting their first electricity from off-grid solar solutions. 64 00:05:30,204 --> 00:05:33,541 And we'll go to Nepal to meet people transitioning from burning wood 65 00:05:33,541 --> 00:05:36,044 to healthier modern cooking fuels. 66 00:05:37,045 --> 00:05:41,049 Their stories are a microcosm of what's happening across the developing world, 67 00:05:41,382 --> 00:05:44,052 as people and communities Switch On. 68 00:05:49,724 --> 00:05:54,395 On the other side of the mountain from the Arhuaco farm is the village of Sabana Crespo. 69 00:05:54,771 --> 00:05:55,897 It's a trading center 70 00:05:55,897 --> 00:06:00,234 where families come down from the hills once a week to exchange goods and see friends. 71 00:06:00,568 --> 00:06:05,073 A couple of years ago, this rural community got its first electricity ever. 72 00:06:05,740 --> 00:06:09,243 Because here, the non-profit Solar Electric Light Fund, 73 00:06:09,243 --> 00:06:12,246 or SELF, installed a solar microgrid. 74 00:06:12,580 --> 00:06:14,916 I met their CEO Bob Freling. 75 00:06:15,249 --> 00:06:16,918 Scott Tinker: How did you get involved in this village? 76 00:06:16,918 --> 00:06:20,755 Bob Freling: Well, it all happened when a leader of the Arhuaco people 77 00:06:20,755 --> 00:06:25,093 came to Washington DC and requested our support to come in and bring solar power 78 00:06:25,093 --> 00:06:27,762 to his and several other villages here 79 00:06:27,762 --> 00:06:29,931 in the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern Colombia. 80 00:06:30,264 --> 00:06:37,105 That is a remarkably rapid transformation for indigenous people to make though, right? 81 00:06:37,105 --> 00:06:42,610 BF: It's true. And we're very mindful of the fact that not everybody in the world 82 00:06:42,610 --> 00:06:46,948 wants this. We would never go and impose our solutions 83 00:06:46,948 --> 00:06:49,283 on a community that has not invited us. 84 00:06:49,617 --> 00:06:54,789 For example, they have asked us not to bring power to their homes and we haven't. 85 00:06:55,123 --> 00:06:59,127 ST: So, this array, this micro-grid is powering more of the community center type things? 86 00:06:59,127 --> 00:07:02,296 BF: Correct, this is all for community-based needs. 87 00:07:04,632 --> 00:07:07,301 This system helps power the coffee operations. 88 00:07:08,302 --> 00:07:10,972 It's the only crop they trade with outsiders. 89 00:07:14,684 --> 00:07:17,645 It also powers lights in the community store, 90 00:07:17,645 --> 00:07:19,981 on the streets at night and in the health center. 91 00:07:22,150 --> 00:07:25,820 SELF's engineer, Steve McCarney, showed me a smaller array 92 00:07:25,820 --> 00:07:28,990 that powers a refrigerator and freezer for vaccines. 93 00:07:29,157 --> 00:07:31,284 Steve McCarney: This is a great project that was funded 94 00:07:31,284 --> 00:07:33,286 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 95 00:07:33,286 --> 00:07:37,832 to basically prove that solar ice making could be done and used for immunization 96 00:07:37,832 --> 00:07:43,379 and the actual first solar direct drive battery-free icemakers are right behind us. 97 00:07:43,379 --> 00:07:46,340 Okay, fellas, here is the vaccine room. 98 00:07:46,340 --> 00:07:52,013 And in here is the freezer, these are... The serial number on this is probably 001 or 002. 99 00:07:52,346 --> 00:07:55,516 This is frozen solid, solar energy. 100 00:07:56,017 --> 00:07:57,852 Those are used for outreach. 101 00:07:57,852 --> 00:08:00,354 They pack 'em with these ice packs, take the vaccines out, 102 00:08:00,354 --> 00:08:05,193 walk out sometimes up to three-day trips from here so they can immunize outreach 103 00:08:05,193 --> 00:08:07,361 locations far up in the mountains. 104 00:08:07,695 --> 00:08:09,530 So it does extend beyond the village. 105 00:08:09,530 --> 00:08:10,364 ST: Right. 106 00:08:10,364 --> 00:08:14,535 BF: The catchment area for this village is approximately 17,000 people. 107 00:08:14,535 --> 00:08:15,703 ST: 17,000? 108 00:08:15,703 --> 00:08:17,205 BF: 17,000 people... 109 00:08:17,205 --> 00:08:22,376 ST: So your 12.5-kilowatt micro-array, and some smaller ones around, 110 00:08:22,376 --> 00:08:26,881 is actually servicing a community of 17,000. 111 00:08:27,215 --> 00:08:30,384 BF: You've seen what a little bit of energy can do, right? ST: Yeah. 112 00:08:30,384 --> 00:08:35,389 BF: We think about a few watts or a few thousand watts in the United States, it's nothing, right? 113 00:08:35,389 --> 00:08:36,891 ST: Yeah. 114 00:08:36,933 --> 00:08:40,895 BF: But a few thousand watts of energy make all the difference in the world. 115 00:08:40,895 --> 00:08:41,395 ST: Yeah. 116 00:08:41,896 --> 00:08:45,566 Bob and Steve have spent their careers bringing off-grid electricity 117 00:08:45,566 --> 00:08:47,735 to rural communities like this one. 118 00:08:47,735 --> 00:08:53,574 To understand what it really takes to power the people, I wanted to help them do more of it. 119 00:08:57,578 --> 00:09:02,250 [music] 120 00:09:03,751 --> 00:09:06,087 Halfway around the world there's a different challenge. 121 00:09:07,129 --> 00:09:10,925 Nepal sits between the northern border of India and the Himalayas 122 00:09:10,925 --> 00:09:13,427 and is one of the poorest countries in the world. 123 00:09:14,095 --> 00:09:19,100 Outside of its capital, most people are farmers living a very traditional lifestyle. 124 00:09:19,934 --> 00:09:21,602 [music] 125 00:09:23,104 --> 00:09:26,941 I went there with environmental health scientist, Dr. Amod Pokhrel, 126 00:09:26,941 --> 00:09:29,110 who's been studying their cooking methods. 127 00:09:32,321 --> 00:09:36,617 In the countryside, everything is done by hand or foot. 128 00:09:56,470 --> 00:10:00,141 Along the main road this small furniture factory sells scrap wood. 129 00:10:00,474 --> 00:10:04,812 Sanu Kanchi, a mother of five from a nearby village, is here to buy some. 130 00:10:05,646 --> 00:10:07,648 So why don't they get this wood from the forest? 131 00:10:07,982 --> 00:10:10,318 So the government opens community forest 132 00:10:10,318 --> 00:10:13,154 for people to collect wood only one time a year. 133 00:10:14,322 --> 00:10:16,991 Yeah, because there is a big problem of deforestation. 134 00:10:17,491 --> 00:10:20,161 And then after that, they have to purchase it from the market, 135 00:10:20,202 --> 00:10:21,996 which is expensive like we'll see... 136 00:10:22,163 --> 00:10:23,539 Scott: Yeah, so this is the market. 137 00:10:23,539 --> 00:10:24,498 Amod Pokhrel: Yeah, this is the market. 138 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:27,835 ST: I'm curious to see how much this weighs. 139 00:10:29,003 --> 00:10:35,509 21.3 kilos, so almost 45, 50 pounds. 140 00:10:36,010 --> 00:10:39,013 How long will that last for cooking? 141 00:10:39,013 --> 00:10:41,015 [foreign language] 142 00:10:41,015 --> 00:10:42,516 AP: She said it goes for two weeks. 143 00:10:42,516 --> 00:10:46,354 ST: About two weeks. So we need 25 of those every year, 144 00:10:47,188 --> 00:10:51,359 and we just spent 200, so 5000. 145 00:10:52,193 --> 00:10:56,864 So that's a lot of money. How much money do you have each year to spend? 146 00:10:57,198 --> 00:10:59,033 What money do you make? 147 00:10:59,533 --> 00:11:01,369 [foreign language] 148 00:11:05,206 --> 00:11:07,041 AP: So she doesn't know the exact... 149 00:11:07,375 --> 00:11:11,212 But according to her she spends a lot of money on purchasing... 150 00:11:11,212 --> 00:11:14,048 ST: Probably maybe half of her income or more. AP: Yeah, half of her income. 151 00:11:14,048 --> 00:11:15,883 ST: Just on fuel. AP: Just on fuel. 152 00:11:15,883 --> 00:11:18,052 ST: For the fire. AP: For the fire, to cook. 153 00:11:18,052 --> 00:11:19,887 ST: That's a tremendous amount. 154 00:11:20,721 --> 00:11:22,390 [music] 155 00:11:42,410 --> 00:11:46,580 Sanu Kanchi is one of the more than two billion people around the world 156 00:11:46,580 --> 00:11:50,084 who still cooks with wood, dung, straw, or other biomass. 157 00:11:59,135 --> 00:12:00,636 [foreign language] 158 00:12:07,101 --> 00:12:09,437 So we got corn, dried corn. 159 00:12:09,437 --> 00:12:10,438 [foreign language] 160 00:12:11,939 --> 00:12:14,442 Over here, mais. 161 00:12:22,825 --> 00:12:29,290 ST: So people have been cooking over wood and solid fuels for many hundreds of years. 162 00:12:29,290 --> 00:12:33,627 AP: Yeah, thousands of years. And it's good because this allowed people to boil water 163 00:12:33,627 --> 00:12:38,966 and give warm food, which is also helpful in terms of health. 164 00:12:38,966 --> 00:12:42,136 But the smoke is the main issue here. 165 00:12:42,136 --> 00:12:49,477 And so you can see there's no vent, ventilation, any window opening for the smoke to go out. 166 00:12:50,478 --> 00:12:55,316 Amod and his team monitor air quality in more than 3000 households in this area. 167 00:12:56,650 --> 00:13:00,654 The outside air pollution levels are about 50 parts per million of particulates. 168 00:13:01,322 --> 00:13:04,325 ST: So two or three times a day we're going to 900. 169 00:13:04,325 --> 00:13:05,659 AP: Yeah, yeah. 170 00:13:08,162 --> 00:13:13,000 ST: 15 to 20 times the standard. Every day. 171 00:13:16,837 --> 00:13:22,176 Well, you can hear the kids, you can hear their lungs, you can hear when they cough. 172 00:13:24,011 --> 00:13:28,849 ST: And you've been cooking in your home all your life, like this? 173 00:13:29,016 --> 00:13:31,519 [foreign language] 174 00:13:32,853 --> 00:13:38,859 AP: Yeah. She has always used biomass stoves, she has not used any other modern fuel... 175 00:13:39,527 --> 00:13:46,033 ST: I mean you can see the smoke, completely darkened rafters and the loft above us. 176 00:13:46,033 --> 00:13:46,867 AP: Yeah. 177 00:13:46,867 --> 00:13:50,371 ST: That's really remarkable with kids and things, the exposure... 178 00:13:50,371 --> 00:13:51,705 AP: Yes. 179 00:13:51,705 --> 00:13:53,541 ST: Through their lives. AP: Yeah, yeah. 180 00:13:55,876 --> 00:13:58,879 Amod and I went to the nearby Siddhi Memorial Hospital 181 00:13:58,879 --> 00:14:02,383 to see how breathing smoke was affecting the local population. 182 00:14:06,053 --> 00:14:07,555 She's beautiful. 183 00:14:10,224 --> 00:14:11,725 [foreign language] 184 00:14:31,579 --> 00:14:33,747 Okay. I'll just explain. 185 00:14:53,267 --> 00:14:54,768 [foreign language] 186 00:15:17,458 --> 00:15:20,461 How many do you see like this every day? Who have the respiratory? 187 00:15:20,461 --> 00:15:22,463 How many little kids? 188 00:15:46,820 --> 00:15:48,656 The electricity is not working. 189 00:15:56,538 --> 00:16:00,000 AP: This is a very common problem in Nepal. 190 00:16:00,501 --> 00:16:03,337 In our study here, which was conducted here in the same hospital, 191 00:16:03,337 --> 00:16:08,342 we also found a very strong association between pneumonia and use of biomass fuel. 192 00:16:11,512 --> 00:16:14,014 Thank you, I hope she gets better. 193 00:16:16,517 --> 00:16:17,685 [foreign language] 194 00:16:18,519 --> 00:16:22,356 Sadly, children die frequently here of pneumonia. 195 00:16:22,356 --> 00:16:27,361 World Health Organization studies show that diseases from indoor smoke inhalation 196 00:16:27,528 --> 00:16:30,531 kill over 3 million people a year globally. 197 00:16:30,864 --> 00:16:33,867 More than AIDS and malaria combined. 198 00:16:34,868 --> 00:16:38,872 Clearly one of the most important challenges facing the world today 199 00:16:39,373 --> 00:16:44,712 is how the one-third of its people who still burn wood can move to something else. 200 00:16:51,552 --> 00:16:54,388 Back in Colombia, we went with SELF to Gunchukwa, 201 00:16:54,722 --> 00:16:57,725 another Arhuaco village that had requested electricity. 202 00:16:58,726 --> 00:17:00,894 But first, we had to go through a cleansing ritual. 203 00:17:01,395 --> 00:17:03,230 [music] 204 00:17:03,731 --> 00:17:07,568 Osiris McCarney, SELF's operation manager, showed us how it's done. 205 00:17:17,911 --> 00:17:20,414 My son Derek helped organized this trip. 206 00:17:20,914 --> 00:17:24,752 We had to bathe in Arhuaco's sacred waters before we could meet the village 207 00:17:24,752 --> 00:17:28,255 and address their spiritual leaders, called Mamos. 208 00:17:44,271 --> 00:17:46,940 Thank you for welcoming us to your village. 209 00:17:47,775 --> 00:17:52,780 And we appreciate very much the nice ceremony that we went through this morning. 210 00:17:53,781 --> 00:17:58,452 It's very meaningful to us and we want to extend our respect back to you. 211 00:17:59,787 --> 00:18:01,288 [foreign language] 212 00:18:13,300 --> 00:18:18,806 We are in a partnership with SELF and Switch. 213 00:18:19,807 --> 00:18:24,645 So our interest is to understand your needs 214 00:18:25,646 --> 00:18:28,482 and if you have a need for electricity 215 00:18:30,150 --> 00:18:34,154 in a way that we could help you, we would like to learn that. 216 00:18:35,489 --> 00:18:38,325 But only to the extent that you want it. 217 00:18:39,326 --> 00:18:40,828 And we would work with you 218 00:18:42,996 --> 00:18:51,505 to bring electricity to your village and work with you to teach you how to maintain. 219 00:18:52,506 --> 00:18:54,174 Now, we had a mission. 220 00:18:54,174 --> 00:18:58,345 The Arhuacos of Gunchukwa asked for lights and fans in their community buildings, 221 00:18:58,679 --> 00:19:02,349 a street light in the square, and a refrigerator for their store. 222 00:19:04,518 --> 00:19:09,690 To power all that, like Sabana Crespo, they would need an off-grid solar system 223 00:19:10,023 --> 00:19:11,525 and we would build it. 224 00:19:13,527 --> 00:19:15,195 [music] 225 00:19:15,696 --> 00:19:20,367 But before we could do that, I was off to Africa to look at on-grid solutions. 226 00:19:22,369 --> 00:19:25,038 This is what you might expect Ethiopia to look like. 227 00:19:37,217 --> 00:19:38,427 But this is where it's headed. 228 00:19:40,888 --> 00:19:46,393 Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, is rapidly modernizing and rapidly growing 229 00:19:46,894 --> 00:19:48,896 and desperately needs more electricity. 230 00:19:49,396 --> 00:19:53,233 To get it, they're building a huge new hydropower project called the GERD, 231 00:19:53,567 --> 00:19:56,403 The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. 232 00:19:57,404 --> 00:19:59,239 There are challenges to building any dam. 233 00:19:59,573 --> 00:20:04,411 I talked to Rudo Sanyanga from a watchdog group about perhaps the most important. 234 00:20:21,428 --> 00:20:27,601 But a major dam like that produces a tremendous amount of steady electricity. 235 00:20:27,935 --> 00:20:30,938 But you're saying it disproportionally benefits 236 00:20:30,938 --> 00:20:33,440 those who are in cities that can benefit it 237 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:35,275 compared to those who are displaced. 238 00:21:18,652 --> 00:21:19,987 Interesting. 239 00:21:21,154 --> 00:21:25,826 I met with Dr. Seleshi Bekele, Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Electricity, 240 00:21:26,159 --> 00:21:30,205 about how they'll power the city without leaving their rural citizens behind. 241 00:21:44,886 --> 00:21:47,848 Yes. Again, how do you get the electricity 242 00:21:48,515 --> 00:21:51,018 in the country, into the hands of the poor? 243 00:21:52,019 --> 00:21:54,855 There's villages that have nothing, no electricity at all. 244 00:21:55,022 --> 00:21:57,399 Are you building power lines now? Or the big networks being built? 245 00:22:08,869 --> 00:22:11,705 To learn more, I was off to visit the GERD. 246 00:22:14,207 --> 00:22:16,376 ST: It's nice to meet you, what's your name? Lazarus: Nice to meet you, Lazarus. 247 00:22:16,376 --> 00:22:17,544 ST: Lazarus, I'm Scott. 248 00:22:25,218 --> 00:22:28,889 From the air, Addis Ababa looks like any big US city. 249 00:22:29,056 --> 00:22:33,560 In fact, it has a bigger population than all of them except New York. 250 00:22:35,062 --> 00:22:37,064 But this is not unique to Ethiopia. 251 00:22:37,397 --> 00:22:40,067 In countries across Africa, cities are growing. 252 00:22:40,567 --> 00:22:46,239 Across Latin America, and especially across developing Asia, it's happening too. 253 00:22:46,239 --> 00:22:49,409 150 million people moved to cities each year. 254 00:22:50,619 --> 00:22:55,415 Almost half of the people in the developing world already live in urban centers. 255 00:22:56,249 --> 00:22:59,419 By 2050, it will be closer to 70%. 256 00:22:59,961 --> 00:23:02,798 The future of the developing world is urban. 257 00:23:04,424 --> 00:23:07,928 Meeting the huge energy demands of these densely populated 258 00:23:07,928 --> 00:23:10,597 urban centers will be a great challenge 259 00:23:10,597 --> 00:23:13,266 while balancing the needs of rural citizens. 260 00:23:15,644 --> 00:23:18,980 I'd see how they're doing this at Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam. 261 00:23:19,439 --> 00:23:22,984 It sits on the Blue Nile in the desert on the border with Sudan. 262 00:23:37,124 --> 00:23:41,503 I met with the general manager of the entire project, Kifle Horo. 263 00:23:42,629 --> 00:23:45,799 ST: This is called the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance... Kifle Horo: Renaissance, yeah. 264 00:23:45,799 --> 00:23:47,467 ST: Why Renaissance? What does that mean? 265 00:23:47,634 --> 00:23:50,804 KH: Ethiopia was great some centuries ago. 266 00:23:50,846 --> 00:23:55,475 That's why we called it "Renaissance," coming back to our greatness. 267 00:23:55,475 --> 00:23:56,143 ST: Okay. 268 00:23:56,476 --> 00:24:01,314 KH: The finance of this project comes from the government of Ethiopia and from the public. 269 00:24:01,815 --> 00:24:05,360 The public has a stake in it, they are buying bond... 270 00:24:05,819 --> 00:24:07,988 ST: They're putting their own money. KH: Money, yes. 271 00:24:07,988 --> 00:24:11,700 KH: Every year, they give one month of their salary 272 00:24:11,700 --> 00:24:15,662 on a bond basis, which will be repaid after five years. 273 00:24:17,831 --> 00:24:20,000 Think about that commitment. 274 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:25,839 Many Ethiopians are putting one month of salary each year toward bonds for the dam. 275 00:24:27,340 --> 00:24:31,678 KH: The total intended capacity is around 6.3 gigawatts. 276 00:24:31,678 --> 00:24:36,516 ST: Yes. So that's six or seven nuclear reactors? 277 00:24:36,516 --> 00:24:39,352 KH: Exactly. ST: This is big, massive. 278 00:24:41,188 --> 00:24:45,859 KH: From the dam, water comes and the spiral case guides the water into the turbine. 279 00:24:45,859 --> 00:24:47,694 ST: The turbine, that's unbelievable. 280 00:24:48,528 --> 00:24:50,864 KH: So huge. ST: The scale of that. 281 00:24:50,906 --> 00:24:52,532 KH: You can imagine the size. 282 00:24:58,872 --> 00:25:04,377 ST: Wow, the scale of this is just crazy. 283 00:25:04,377 --> 00:25:07,881 It's hard to appreciate the size of this project. 284 00:25:07,881 --> 00:25:11,885 When complete, it will provide electricity for tens of millions of Ethiopians. 285 00:25:13,386 --> 00:25:15,055 ST: What does this dam... 286 00:25:15,388 --> 00:25:18,433 ST: how did that contribute to lifting up the Ethiopia economically? 287 00:25:23,730 --> 00:25:28,235 ST: So you'll be able to provide electricity to citizens of Ethiopia? 288 00:25:54,594 --> 00:25:57,097 ST: Yeah, for all of Africa. KH: Yeah, all of Africa. 289 00:25:59,474 --> 00:26:03,436 It seems the dam is well on the way to achieving its power goals, 290 00:26:03,770 --> 00:26:06,147 but what about the people it has displaced? 291 00:26:06,773 --> 00:26:10,110 In the valley that will be flooded to create the dam's reservoir, 292 00:26:10,110 --> 00:26:12,612 I met with journalist Abraham Fisseha. 293 00:26:12,612 --> 00:26:17,659 We're sitting here on the upstream side of the GERD. 294 00:26:17,826 --> 00:26:21,288 In a few years, we would be under about 140 meters of water. 295 00:26:22,831 --> 00:26:27,836 And there used to be people that lived here in this area, and they're gonna be displaced 296 00:26:28,295 --> 00:26:30,630 as this fills. How did they live? 297 00:26:30,964 --> 00:26:33,633 It was a very primitive way of living. 298 00:26:34,634 --> 00:26:36,970 Sometimes they are dependent on fishing. 299 00:26:38,138 --> 00:26:42,309 But no farm, no other activities. 300 00:26:43,518 --> 00:26:46,855 So now they have given them an opportunity, 301 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:52,027 even though it's not enough, much better than they used to be. 302 00:26:52,986 --> 00:26:56,156 They have never been to school, they had no access to clean water. 303 00:26:56,823 --> 00:26:59,326 So now with relocating them, 304 00:26:59,868 --> 00:27:02,162 schools are open, clinic is open. 305 00:27:02,996 --> 00:27:07,334 So at least, at the minimum, they have an access. 306 00:27:08,001 --> 00:27:10,045 Are many of these part of your family? 307 00:27:16,009 --> 00:27:18,345 So your life is very different now? 308 00:27:18,845 --> 00:27:23,683 [foreign language] 309 00:27:47,374 --> 00:27:51,711 So, the electricity which will come to this pole, 310 00:27:52,879 --> 00:27:54,881 comes from the new dam. 311 00:27:55,382 --> 00:28:00,720 [foreign language] 312 00:28:01,054 --> 00:28:03,390 Your little boy will be able to go to school now. 313 00:28:03,390 --> 00:28:09,396 So he could eventually... He could learn to write and read. 314 00:28:09,396 --> 00:28:13,400 [foreign language] 315 00:28:18,738 --> 00:28:22,242 Not all rural people in Ethiopia will get power from the dam 316 00:28:22,575 --> 00:28:24,452 or react so positively to it. 317 00:28:24,911 --> 00:28:27,747 But here, as in many developing regions, 318 00:28:27,914 --> 00:28:32,252 big grid electricity projects will drive commerce and power cities 319 00:28:32,585 --> 00:28:35,422 and help expand the grid to power villages. 320 00:28:39,759 --> 00:28:41,428 [music] 321 00:28:50,270 --> 00:28:53,940 For most developing countries, hydropower is one of two choices, 322 00:28:53,940 --> 00:28:56,109 for large grid electricity projects. 323 00:28:56,943 --> 00:28:59,279 I went to Vietnam to look at the other one. 324 00:29:00,613 --> 00:29:02,824 Hang Nguyen, an energy planner, 325 00:29:02,824 --> 00:29:06,453 told me how Vietnam will power its urban centers and growing economy. 326 00:29:07,454 --> 00:29:10,123 ST: There's a lot of construction going on over here, in fact, there's 327 00:29:10,457 --> 00:29:13,460 a big jackhammer down here knocking things down. 328 00:30:01,841 --> 00:30:05,345 So it's been hydro, but it's going toward more coal? 329 00:30:06,179 --> 00:30:08,181 Why is that, why not keep hydro? 330 00:30:13,061 --> 00:30:18,191 So we've built all the dams that could be built for the most part, or at least the big ones. 331 00:30:18,358 --> 00:30:22,695 So you have to have something else that feed that economy. 332 00:30:24,405 --> 00:30:25,698 To power its continued growth, 333 00:30:26,407 --> 00:30:30,912 Vietnam plans to double its entire generation capacity in 10 years. 334 00:30:31,704 --> 00:30:33,873 I went to see if they could do that with coal. 335 00:30:34,541 --> 00:30:37,210 And I'd start by going into a coal mine. 336 00:30:37,377 --> 00:30:39,546 [foreign language] 337 00:30:51,891 --> 00:30:54,394 [train rumble] 338 00:31:16,749 --> 00:31:20,086 Riding this tiny train, deeper and deeper into the earth 339 00:31:20,086 --> 00:31:22,422 is enough to make anyone claustrophobic. 340 00:31:24,257 --> 00:31:25,592 ST: How far do we go? 341 00:31:25,592 --> 00:31:28,136 Andy Nguyen: We will travel around two kilometers. 342 00:31:30,096 --> 00:31:32,432 I was surprised by just how many miners were there, 343 00:31:32,932 --> 00:31:37,270 going into and out of the mine, 24 hours a day, on different shifts. 344 00:31:57,665 --> 00:31:58,333 ST: Wow. 345 00:32:03,838 --> 00:32:06,466 ST: Wow, that's about as good as it gets. 346 00:32:07,467 --> 00:32:08,635 Pliable. 347 00:32:08,635 --> 00:32:10,136 AN: The coal here is high quality. 348 00:32:10,303 --> 00:32:11,512 ST: Yes, it is. AN: It's very hot. 349 00:32:11,638 --> 00:32:12,805 ST: Yes, it is. 350 00:32:26,527 --> 00:32:27,695 ST: There it is. 351 00:32:32,325 --> 00:32:36,329 ST: Alright. It's wet. It's a slurry. 352 00:32:38,498 --> 00:32:39,832 [foreign language] 353 00:32:40,500 --> 00:32:44,003 In Vietnam, working in a coal mine is a steady high-paying job. 354 00:32:44,712 --> 00:32:46,547 How long has this mine been operating? 355 00:32:47,006 --> 00:32:47,674 [foreign language] 356 00:32:50,343 --> 00:32:51,678 ST: Did your father work in this business? 357 00:32:52,011 --> 00:32:52,178 Miner: Yes. ST: Yes, he did. 358 00:32:53,346 --> 00:32:53,846 ST: And you're... 359 00:32:53,846 --> 00:32:54,847 [foreign language] 360 00:32:55,348 --> 00:32:57,016 AN: My father, my grandfather also. 361 00:32:57,016 --> 00:32:58,184 ST: Really? 362 00:32:58,184 --> 00:32:59,519 So he's third generation. 363 00:32:59,686 --> 00:33:01,187 [foreign language] 364 00:33:02,689 --> 00:33:06,192 AN: My grandfather, my father, and now me. ST: Yeah, here you are. 365 00:33:12,031 --> 00:33:16,536 Coal leaves Vietnam's mines on trains and passes through a network of coal towns. 366 00:33:16,744 --> 00:33:19,914 [train horn] 367 00:33:22,542 --> 00:33:25,044 Each town is made up mostly of coal workers, 368 00:33:25,044 --> 00:33:27,714 their families and the businesses that support them. 369 00:33:36,431 --> 00:33:38,891 Most of the coal is headed toward the coast, 370 00:33:38,891 --> 00:33:41,728 where it will eventually be loaded and shipped on barges. 371 00:33:46,733 --> 00:33:48,735 I went there with journalist, Andy Nguyen. 372 00:33:49,902 --> 00:33:52,947 AN: This is a port where the ships come to transport coal. 373 00:33:52,947 --> 00:33:54,907 ST: Right. You can see the coal. 374 00:33:55,408 --> 00:33:58,286 ST: So we are seeing at least 8 or 10 ships right here. 375 00:34:08,588 --> 00:34:12,091 ST: They take it down the coast back to rivers on a train, 376 00:34:12,091 --> 00:34:14,761 and then to coal plants and make electricity. 377 00:34:20,767 --> 00:34:22,769 It appears Vietnam has the mining capacity, 378 00:34:23,603 --> 00:34:28,649 the trained labor force and the transportation system to support their coal growth plans. 379 00:34:29,776 --> 00:34:35,114 And in the next 20 years, Vietnam plans to build 50 new coal plants like this one. 380 00:34:35,782 --> 00:34:36,824 ST: So where are we now? 381 00:34:37,158 --> 00:34:39,619 AN: Master control room, the power plant. 382 00:34:40,286 --> 00:34:44,624 ST: And so these guys, they're basically measuring what? Generators? 383 00:34:44,624 --> 00:34:45,792 AN: Ash. 384 00:34:46,793 --> 00:34:49,629 ST: Oh, it's the ash. He's looking at the ash. 385 00:34:49,629 --> 00:34:51,506 ST: And this guy is doing something different? 386 00:34:52,131 --> 00:34:53,633 Water system. 387 00:34:54,300 --> 00:34:56,636 ST: Oh the water system. AN: Water system. ST: The cooling system. 388 00:34:56,844 --> 00:34:58,471 ST: So everybody has a different job. 389 00:35:00,181 --> 00:35:04,977 ST: Coal has many advantages, but one of the challenges is just the air quality 390 00:35:04,977 --> 00:35:06,854 the particulates in the ash. 391 00:35:06,854 --> 00:35:08,147 So how do we fix that? 392 00:35:13,820 --> 00:35:18,825 AN: So we do, we are using a limestone powder to burn with coal to reduce the emissions. 393 00:35:18,825 --> 00:35:20,493 ST: To get the sulfur. 394 00:35:20,827 --> 00:35:23,329 AN: And the ash, the second challenge is the ash. 395 00:35:24,831 --> 00:35:28,376 AN: This is a conveyor system to transport ash 396 00:35:28,376 --> 00:35:32,505 from the power plant to this area to store the ash. 397 00:35:32,672 --> 00:35:34,340 ST: Is this all ash behind us? 398 00:35:34,382 --> 00:35:35,842 [foreign language] 399 00:35:36,509 --> 00:35:37,510 [foreign language] 400 00:35:38,052 --> 00:35:41,514 AN: Around five million cubic meter of ash. 401 00:35:42,682 --> 00:35:44,851 A lot of the ash ends up in this yard, 402 00:35:45,226 --> 00:35:47,186 but a lot still goes out the stack. 403 00:35:47,687 --> 00:35:50,523 I went to talk to some of the people who live just downwind 404 00:35:50,523 --> 00:35:53,192 from the coal plant to see if this is a problem. 405 00:35:55,194 --> 00:35:58,197 ST: Does everybody here, everybody you know have electricity? 406 00:36:09,542 --> 00:36:15,381 Yes, of course. When I was born, I had electricity, my family had electricity. 407 00:36:15,715 --> 00:36:19,760 So you work in a business, the coal business, which is your life 408 00:36:20,428 --> 00:36:26,601 and that business puts pollution. Do you see that as a conflict? 409 00:36:27,727 --> 00:36:29,228 No, she works for a railway company. 410 00:36:29,228 --> 00:36:33,232 But these guys were in coal and the whole community is based on coal 411 00:36:33,774 --> 00:36:35,067 but it makes the environment... 412 00:36:35,943 --> 00:36:37,111 So how do you change that? 413 00:36:37,403 --> 00:36:39,113 [foreign language] 414 00:36:43,618 --> 00:36:45,453 There are some ideas here. What's going on? 415 00:36:46,746 --> 00:36:47,121 Yeah. 416 00:36:47,288 --> 00:36:51,959 It does not come from the coal mine; it comes from the thermal power plant. 417 00:36:51,959 --> 00:36:52,919 From the plant. 418 00:36:52,919 --> 00:36:55,421 Yeah. You see the white dust in the air. 419 00:36:55,922 --> 00:37:04,263 In the US, on the coal plants, we have scrubbers that scrub this out before it goes up. 420 00:37:10,811 --> 00:37:13,439 It makes it more expensive, it makes it more expensive. 421 00:37:13,606 --> 00:37:16,651 [foreign language] 422 00:37:17,610 --> 00:37:19,946 What are some of the other challenges in the community? 423 00:37:24,784 --> 00:37:27,453 So you don't want coal to go away? 424 00:37:36,796 --> 00:37:39,632 Coal powers Vietnam's communities and businesses. 425 00:37:40,299 --> 00:37:44,637 In exchange for these benefits, they seem willing to accept its air pollution. 426 00:37:45,805 --> 00:37:48,641 Vietnam will use coal to build an economy 427 00:37:48,641 --> 00:37:51,477 that's strong enough to eventually afford something else, 428 00:37:51,644 --> 00:37:55,982 like many countries have and many will, across the developing world. 429 00:37:57,817 --> 00:38:00,194 Making the electricity is just half the challenge. 430 00:38:02,154 --> 00:38:03,990 The other is getting it to the people who need it. 431 00:38:05,700 --> 00:38:10,329 Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, is another one of Africa's fast-rising cities. 432 00:38:10,705 --> 00:38:13,374 Here, over a million people live in slums 433 00:38:13,374 --> 00:38:16,669 and many are struggling to get safe, reliable electricity. 434 00:38:17,336 --> 00:38:19,839 I went to visit Kibera, the largest slum, 435 00:38:20,006 --> 00:38:23,342 with Kenya Power's Director of Infrastructure, David Mwaniki. 436 00:38:23,509 --> 00:38:27,013 Mafuta taa, makaa. What does this say? Swahili. 437 00:38:39,859 --> 00:38:42,028 ST: So charcoal here, we have kerosene there. David Mwaniki: Yes. 438 00:38:42,028 --> 00:38:45,531 So this is sort of what it was, and still is. 439 00:38:45,531 --> 00:38:48,034 Kind of where it's going some. And that's the future. 440 00:38:48,034 --> 00:38:49,410 That's the future. 441 00:38:55,374 --> 00:38:56,542 ST: So this is a school? 442 00:38:56,584 --> 00:38:58,377 DM: Yeah. It's a nice place to be. 443 00:38:58,919 --> 00:39:01,589 ST: Did you grow up with electricity when you were young? Did you have electricity? 444 00:39:11,932 --> 00:39:12,391 That's perfect. 445 00:39:15,394 --> 00:39:17,730 But that's the opportunity that these kids will have. 446 00:39:46,592 --> 00:39:47,134 That's phenomenal. 447 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:56,435 There was illegal connections? Yes. 448 00:39:56,477 --> 00:39:57,645 Run by? 449 00:39:59,939 --> 00:40:00,773 Like cartels? 450 00:40:21,627 --> 00:40:24,797 I met with Jaelle Mwalo to find out how Kenya Power 451 00:40:24,797 --> 00:40:27,508 worked with the cartels to install electricity. 452 00:40:30,803 --> 00:40:34,014 ST: So the cartels were here... Jael Mwadiloh: Yeah. ST: And the next step was? 453 00:40:35,474 --> 00:40:36,517 To engage the cartels. 454 00:40:52,491 --> 00:40:54,660 William Opiyo is one of the local leaders 455 00:40:54,660 --> 00:40:57,997 that Kenya Power identified to help install power lines. 456 00:40:59,665 --> 00:41:02,376 ST: We're walking under a brand new power line here. 457 00:41:22,855 --> 00:41:27,693 So Kenya Power put in the poles and brought legal electricity, 458 00:41:28,194 --> 00:41:33,199 and then the cartel said, "No. We'll tap into it with drops." 459 00:41:33,532 --> 00:41:35,034 William Opiyo: Yeah. ST: Illegally. 460 00:41:35,201 --> 00:41:40,581 Can we see one of those here or not? Can you point to the illegal wire? 461 00:41:41,207 --> 00:41:43,709 ST: Can I tell which one it is? WO: Yeah I can see. ST: Which one? 462 00:41:45,419 --> 00:41:46,420 Which one are we looking at? 463 00:41:46,921 --> 00:41:48,547 ST: Right here? WO: Yes. ST: Okay. 464 00:41:51,217 --> 00:41:52,384 ST: And this one? WO: Yes. 465 00:42:00,726 --> 00:42:04,897 Wow. So William, these are homes? 466 00:42:06,607 --> 00:42:09,401 I see four doors on this side, and four down this side. 467 00:42:15,074 --> 00:42:17,409 Hello! I'm Scott. 468 00:42:18,744 --> 00:42:19,411 What's your name? 469 00:42:20,496 --> 00:42:22,248 Dominic. It's nice to meet you. 470 00:42:22,831 --> 00:42:25,918 Thanks for letting us come to your home today and visit. 471 00:42:25,960 --> 00:42:27,169 Dominic: Yeah. My pleasure. 472 00:42:27,253 --> 00:42:29,922 ST: I can see you use a lot of electricity. 473 00:42:29,922 --> 00:42:33,425 What's this? What's this here? 474 00:42:37,096 --> 00:42:37,972 ST: What is it? 475 00:42:42,601 --> 00:42:43,519 ST: Oh, this was Kenya Power's? 476 00:42:44,687 --> 00:42:46,105 ST: And it's empty. WO: Yeah. Yeah. 477 00:42:46,105 --> 00:42:48,774 ST: And this is the illegal? WO: Yeah. The illegal. 478 00:42:49,275 --> 00:42:57,700 ST: Is it better for you for having Kenya Power or this cartel power? 479 00:43:00,536 --> 00:43:01,954 ST: It's safe? Dominic: Yeah. 480 00:43:01,996 --> 00:43:05,541 ST: Have you ever had an electrical accident? Like you've got shocked? 481 00:43:07,293 --> 00:43:08,877 ST: Yes? Dominic: That is, oh yes. 482 00:43:09,211 --> 00:43:11,338 Okay. So it's not very safe? 483 00:43:12,548 --> 00:43:15,301 You are laughing because it's scary? 484 00:43:19,471 --> 00:43:21,849 ST: Oh I see. Yes. That looks pretty scary. 485 00:43:22,308 --> 00:43:27,354 ST: I mean tell me what happens with illegal power like that. What are the concerns? 486 00:43:31,483 --> 00:43:36,155 ST: Live wires? I mean what... I mean that's got to have killed people! 487 00:43:36,488 --> 00:43:37,323 WO: Yeah. Yeah. 488 00:43:44,538 --> 00:43:46,165 ST: Children? WO: Yeah. Yeah. 489 00:43:46,999 --> 00:43:48,334 So when it rains... 490 00:43:48,334 --> 00:43:50,002 Everything is metal. 491 00:43:53,756 --> 00:43:55,674 ST: Boom! WO: Yes. ST: Wow. 492 00:43:58,844 --> 00:44:03,515 So it's a real safety and security issue. 493 00:44:04,683 --> 00:44:09,936 And the reason that's still there? Like, why doesn't somebody go take it down? 494 00:44:12,858 --> 00:44:14,360 Who would do it? 495 00:44:17,863 --> 00:44:19,031 ST: You? WO: Yes. 496 00:44:34,922 --> 00:44:39,385 Around the world, there are about one billion people living in slums, 497 00:44:39,760 --> 00:44:44,556 and there are a grid expansion projects like this in cities across developing Africa, 498 00:44:44,640 --> 00:44:46,308 Asia and Latin America. 499 00:44:46,558 --> 00:44:48,435 All will bring lighting and literacy, 500 00:44:48,644 --> 00:44:52,064 communication and safety, health care and refrigeration, 501 00:44:52,231 --> 00:44:54,233 small business, and industry. 502 00:44:54,650 --> 00:44:56,652 And all will struggle with corruption. 503 00:44:56,902 --> 00:45:00,406 It's perhaps the biggest stumbling block to energy development. 504 00:45:00,739 --> 00:45:03,909 Hydroelectric dams, particularly in African countries 505 00:45:04,243 --> 00:45:06,078 where there are still good resources 506 00:45:06,245 --> 00:45:08,664 will increase in size and in number. 507 00:45:08,956 --> 00:45:13,585 They'll face challenges of financing, environment and displacement of local people. 508 00:45:14,169 --> 00:45:18,006 Coal electricity will grow dramatically in Asian countries. 509 00:45:18,257 --> 00:45:22,511 While it's declined in Europe and North America over the last 40 years, 510 00:45:22,678 --> 00:45:27,850 in Asia, coal use for power generation has increased more than 1000%. 511 00:45:28,308 --> 00:45:33,439 Regional particulate air pollution and C02 emissions have grown along with it. 512 00:45:35,941 --> 00:45:39,278 It's clear that developing countries will continue to grow, 513 00:45:39,278 --> 00:45:41,321 urbanize and need more energy. 514 00:45:41,780 --> 00:45:47,202 Reducing environmental impact and corruption will remain two great challenges. 515 00:45:51,832 --> 00:45:54,460 For the one billion people living off the grid, 516 00:45:54,501 --> 00:45:58,964 they'll need off-grid solutions like the solar system we were building in Colombia. 517 00:45:59,465 --> 00:46:01,550 [foreign language] 518 00:46:02,301 --> 00:46:06,138 Here, people and equipment converge on the tiny village of Pueblo Bayo, 519 00:46:06,472 --> 00:46:09,391 where the pavement ends and the road heads into the jungle. 520 00:46:09,975 --> 00:46:11,810 It had taken a year of work 521 00:46:11,810 --> 00:46:14,313 and a great deal of resources to organize this trip. 522 00:46:21,528 --> 00:46:24,865 Uno. Dos. Tres... Eso! 523 00:46:25,365 --> 00:46:28,827 We asked our friends at REC SOLAR to donate solar panels. 524 00:46:31,872 --> 00:46:34,208 The panels were manufactured in Singapore, 525 00:46:34,208 --> 00:46:37,002 shipped to Los Angeles and trucked to Miami. 526 00:46:38,378 --> 00:46:40,214 Let's back it up a little so I can get my leg out. 527 00:46:40,214 --> 00:46:41,548 [laughter] 528 00:46:43,217 --> 00:46:47,262 The sun doesn't shine at night which is when the Arhuacos need power. 529 00:46:47,262 --> 00:46:50,349 That means a battery which the panels will charge. 530 00:46:51,683 --> 00:46:54,561 The batteries were made in China, shipped to LA, 531 00:46:54,686 --> 00:46:56,522 trucked to Ohio for testing 532 00:46:56,522 --> 00:47:00,526 then joined our panels in Miami for the trip to Barranquilla, Colombia. 533 00:47:06,073 --> 00:47:09,034 From there, they passed through three different trucks 534 00:47:09,034 --> 00:47:12,913 and finally into ours to at last get here. 535 00:47:13,121 --> 00:47:16,917 Most important, we brought a dozen volunteers from the US and Colombia, 536 00:47:17,209 --> 00:47:19,378 smart, able, educated people, 537 00:47:19,545 --> 00:47:22,589 who Steve could teach how to install a solar microgrid. 538 00:47:23,131 --> 00:47:25,551 Well, I guess we got over the first challenge. 539 00:47:26,385 --> 00:47:27,928 There'll be a few more. 540 00:47:28,470 --> 00:47:30,138 [music] 541 00:47:39,898 --> 00:47:42,442 As we drove the last four hours back into the jungle, 542 00:47:42,901 --> 00:47:46,822 I couldn't help but wonder how much transportation fuel was involved 543 00:47:46,822 --> 00:47:51,577 in getting this solar system and all of us who would install it out to Gunchukwa. 544 00:48:06,592 --> 00:48:10,178 [background conversation] 545 00:48:19,605 --> 00:48:20,814 ST: Towards me. 546 00:48:21,523 --> 00:48:24,693 You ready? Watch your step on those stones. 547 00:48:25,277 --> 00:48:29,489 Osi McCarney: Basically the first message is: Welcome, welcome back. 548 00:48:29,698 --> 00:48:33,785 Thank you for coming back. Thank you for bringing this gift. 549 00:48:36,288 --> 00:48:38,624 Steve McCarney: Yes, a trend continued, perfect. 550 00:48:39,124 --> 00:48:41,543 ST: I've been traveling in the last year, 551 00:48:41,543 --> 00:48:45,380 and spoken in probably 10 or 15 countries, 552 00:48:45,505 --> 00:48:48,508 and I always show pictures of Gunchukwa. So Gunchukwa... 553 00:48:48,884 --> 00:48:49,968 OM: Is traveling. 554 00:48:49,968 --> 00:48:53,305 ST: Is going to be known very well. And I hope that's okay. 555 00:48:53,805 --> 00:48:56,058 OM: He says that he feels that they are traveling. 556 00:48:56,058 --> 00:48:58,393 ST: Yes. Yes, you are. 557 00:48:58,518 --> 00:48:59,519 [laughter] 558 00:49:00,062 --> 00:49:02,230 ST: And finally, I will thank our team, 559 00:49:02,230 --> 00:49:06,026 we have volunteers from Colombia, from around the United States, 560 00:49:06,360 --> 00:49:08,487 students, young professionals, 561 00:49:08,487 --> 00:49:12,991 that have all volunteered to come here this week and to meet you 562 00:49:13,325 --> 00:49:16,870 and to work with you and bring our cultures together. 563 00:49:18,497 --> 00:49:22,834 I was struck that it would take a similar global convergence of people and technology 564 00:49:23,168 --> 00:49:28,340 to electrify any of the hundreds of thousands of rural villages around the world like Gunchukwa. 565 00:49:28,840 --> 00:49:31,760 But for now we'd focused just on this one. 566 00:49:32,386 --> 00:49:34,012 [music] 567 00:49:44,272 --> 00:49:47,401 ST: Some places are so rural that there aren't villages. 568 00:49:47,901 --> 00:49:52,239 In the Maasai territories of Kenya, a solar microgrid is too expensive. 569 00:49:52,572 --> 00:49:54,574 Smaller off-grid solutions are required. 570 00:49:56,076 --> 00:50:01,623 Here I met with Isaiah, a member of the Maasai tribe who is also a traveling salesman. 571 00:50:09,923 --> 00:50:11,967 That's perfect, and they get good reception here. 572 00:50:15,554 --> 00:50:18,140 Isaiah, you were raised in this community? Isaiah: Yes. 573 00:50:18,140 --> 00:50:19,766 ST: You went to school here? Isaiah: Yes. 574 00:50:19,766 --> 00:50:22,227 Did you have any electricity in school or home? 575 00:50:24,730 --> 00:50:26,898 So this is really changing lives. 576 00:50:31,570 --> 00:50:32,738 ST: That is fantastic. 577 00:50:36,950 --> 00:50:40,787 Utility companies face so many other challenges in developing countries 578 00:50:40,787 --> 00:50:44,624 that stringing power lines to scattered homes becomes a low priority, 579 00:50:45,417 --> 00:50:49,921 but this makes it an opportunity for businesses selling solar home systems. 580 00:50:54,593 --> 00:50:56,470 Isaiah: This is the TV. ST: The TV. 581 00:50:57,262 --> 00:50:59,097 ST: Then I can see the battery. 582 00:50:59,097 --> 00:51:00,599 Isaiah: Yeah, the battery is over there. 583 00:51:00,599 --> 00:51:01,516 ST: Right. 584 00:51:10,442 --> 00:51:12,611 Okay. Just pull it a little bit this way. 585 00:51:13,653 --> 00:51:15,113 ST: Is that good? Isaiah: Yeah, that one is good. 586 00:51:17,282 --> 00:51:20,619 Isaiah: The TV is so big. The TV comes here. 587 00:51:21,286 --> 00:51:25,874 ST: Ah, the power line. It's very quick. It's very easy. 588 00:51:26,374 --> 00:51:29,127 Hello. Hello. 589 00:51:31,171 --> 00:51:34,299 Hello. So I can activate it now. 590 00:51:38,220 --> 00:51:43,016 Kenya is sometimes called the Silicon Valley of distributed renewable energy solutions. 591 00:51:43,475 --> 00:51:48,480 In Nairobi, I met with Pauline Githugu, M-KOPA's Director of Marketing. 592 00:51:49,648 --> 00:51:51,650 ST: This is big. 593 00:51:51,650 --> 00:51:54,986 Pauline Githugu: Yeah, there's a lot going on here. ST: How many people are in here? 594 00:51:54,986 --> 00:51:59,991 We have about 200 staff who are within the call center. ST: 200? 595 00:51:59,991 --> 00:52:04,162 Yeah. And the basic activity here is to support our customers, 596 00:52:04,162 --> 00:52:09,501 so once they make the decision to buy the product we have to switch it on. 597 00:52:09,501 --> 00:52:10,502 ST: Yeah. PG: Yeah. 598 00:52:10,502 --> 00:52:12,003 ST: Young people. PG: Yes. 599 00:52:12,546 --> 00:52:13,505 A lot of buzz. 600 00:52:13,588 --> 00:52:18,176 Yes, I'd say our average age here is probably 28. 601 00:52:18,176 --> 00:52:21,680 ST: Really? PG: Maybe even younger within the call center. 602 00:52:22,556 --> 00:52:25,517 PG: The payment, this is done by mobile money. 603 00:52:25,517 --> 00:52:28,687 ST: So that comes through a mobile network. 604 00:52:28,687 --> 00:52:30,897 Yes, that comes through a mobile network, so 605 00:52:30,897 --> 00:52:35,402 this device has a SIM card. So it operates like a mobile phone. 606 00:52:35,777 --> 00:52:37,863 ST: So this is it. 607 00:52:37,863 --> 00:52:42,200 If you don't have the ability to use your phone and pay... 608 00:52:42,868 --> 00:52:43,535 You don't do this. 609 00:52:43,535 --> 00:52:44,870 No, you can't do this. 610 00:52:44,870 --> 00:52:46,413 ST: This is the heart of your business. PG: Yeah. 611 00:52:46,413 --> 00:52:48,790 Is this something that Kenya, 612 00:52:49,416 --> 00:52:55,714 M-KOPA and others can share and export to the world as one of the key things? 613 00:52:55,714 --> 00:53:00,051 Absolutely. I think this is something that we've proved can really work, 614 00:53:00,051 --> 00:53:06,975 but it is really predicated on the existence of a good mobile network. 615 00:53:07,559 --> 00:53:09,561 In Kenya and many other countries, 616 00:53:09,895 --> 00:53:15,066 tech startups like this one are allowing rural families to buy their own off-grid electricity 617 00:53:15,567 --> 00:53:18,612 which can help them get something even more important. 618 00:53:22,449 --> 00:53:25,952 On the outskirts of Nairobi, I met with farmer, John Kidenda. 619 00:53:30,582 --> 00:53:36,421 ST: Would all of this grow in natural rainfall or do you have to use more water? 620 00:53:43,428 --> 00:53:44,429 It's January now. 621 00:53:44,429 --> 00:53:45,472 John Kidenda: We're in January. 622 00:53:45,472 --> 00:53:46,431 [laughter] 623 00:53:51,436 --> 00:53:52,604 ST: So you have to irrigate. 624 00:53:52,604 --> 00:53:53,647 I have to irrigate. 625 00:53:53,647 --> 00:53:56,524 How does the water get from your system to the plants? 626 00:54:11,623 --> 00:54:13,124 ST: Two panels. JK: Two panels. 627 00:54:13,124 --> 00:54:15,126 What does a system like this cost? 628 00:54:33,520 --> 00:54:36,398 Okay, so your costs are covered here by what you get every month. 629 00:54:36,398 --> 00:54:38,066 Comfortably. Comfortably. That's fanastic. 630 00:54:41,486 --> 00:54:43,655 That's deep. 631 00:54:47,826 --> 00:54:49,494 ST: Fifty feet! JK: Yeah, fifty feet. 632 00:54:49,661 --> 00:54:50,829 So it's really deep. 633 00:54:50,829 --> 00:54:52,998 So you got a lot of water here. 634 00:54:58,003 --> 00:54:58,837 Wow. 635 00:54:59,212 --> 00:55:03,091 Samir Ibrahim is the Kenyan-born American educated 636 00:55:03,091 --> 00:55:08,346 Silicon Valley-style entrepreneur who started SunCulture that built John's system. 637 00:55:08,513 --> 00:55:09,848 Let's take a look at your pump. 638 00:55:09,848 --> 00:55:11,683 Samir Ibrahim: This is the Rain Maker Two. 639 00:55:11,683 --> 00:55:13,351 And this plugs right into here. 640 00:55:13,852 --> 00:55:17,856 It's the strongest energy management system for off-grid customers in Africa. 641 00:55:18,023 --> 00:55:19,024 Really? Yeah. 642 00:55:19,024 --> 00:55:21,026 So there's a SIM card in there? 643 00:55:21,026 --> 00:55:23,778 There's a SIM card in there, WiFi, Bluetooth. 644 00:55:23,778 --> 00:55:26,948 You can talk to things in the field, so we are actually building, 645 00:55:26,948 --> 00:55:30,535 We've built an Internet of Things platform to bring 646 00:55:30,535 --> 00:55:34,122 precision agriculture services to farmers for the first time here. 647 00:55:34,122 --> 00:55:34,873 Right. 648 00:55:35,206 --> 00:55:38,209 In Africa, we have 60% of the world's unused farmable land. 649 00:55:38,376 --> 00:55:40,295 Okay. Of the world's unused farmable land? 650 00:55:40,295 --> 00:55:42,213 Of the world's unused farmable land. 651 00:55:42,213 --> 00:55:44,758 We're the only continent when we talk about water scarcity, 652 00:55:44,966 --> 00:55:48,386 It's not a physical water scarcity, it's an economic water scarcity 653 00:55:48,386 --> 00:55:50,638 So people just can't afford to just pull the water up. 654 00:55:51,556 --> 00:55:58,396 My dream is to prove this out in a way where we get dozens of companies doing this. 655 00:55:58,396 --> 00:55:59,147 Yeah. 656 00:55:59,147 --> 00:56:02,984 With hundreds of thousands, if not millions of acres under irrigation 657 00:56:02,984 --> 00:56:07,113 with modular energy management systems so that people can plug in other appliances 658 00:56:07,572 --> 00:56:10,909 and that people have the choice of what they do. 659 00:56:11,493 --> 00:56:13,995 I mean we are very fortunate. We can choose what we do. 660 00:56:13,995 --> 00:56:16,414 When we use power, when we take a shower, when we watch TV. 661 00:56:16,414 --> 00:56:16,956 Right. 662 00:56:16,956 --> 00:56:19,584 We wanna give people that choice. We wanna give people that freedom. 663 00:56:26,591 --> 00:56:29,844 Can you imagine what affordable access to water would do 664 00:56:29,844 --> 00:56:32,305 to change the entire continent of Africa? 665 00:56:33,598 --> 00:56:36,643 JK: Are you ready? ST: I'm ready. Let's sprinkle. 666 00:56:38,978 --> 00:56:39,771 JK: There. 667 00:56:41,523 --> 00:56:42,440 JK: Wow. ST: Whoa! 668 00:56:42,482 --> 00:56:43,441 There you have it. 669 00:56:43,441 --> 00:56:44,526 ST: That's spraying. 670 00:56:50,615 --> 00:56:51,783 Now you're thinking big. 671 00:56:52,117 --> 00:56:52,784 Yes. 672 00:56:54,494 --> 00:56:56,704 In this and many developing regions, 673 00:56:56,996 --> 00:57:00,792 small electricity businesses driven by local entrepreneurs 674 00:57:01,167 --> 00:57:03,795 are using new tech to solve old problems. 675 00:57:04,796 --> 00:57:08,049 In many cases, they have the potential to scale faster 676 00:57:08,049 --> 00:57:10,969 and reach rural customers faster than power lines. 677 00:57:13,304 --> 00:57:14,305 [music] 678 00:57:22,021 --> 00:57:26,401 Back in Gunchukwa, our team of volunteers has started the week-long process 679 00:57:26,401 --> 00:57:28,361 of building the solar microgrid. 680 00:57:30,196 --> 00:57:31,156 ST: First panel. 681 00:57:41,541 --> 00:57:42,709 SM: Alright. 682 00:57:47,338 --> 00:57:48,673 It's ready for us? 683 00:57:52,260 --> 00:57:53,720 It's pretty close. That good? 684 00:57:57,015 --> 00:57:59,100 I think that's it. Perfect sun. 685 00:57:59,517 --> 00:58:04,022 SM: Mmm, yeah. ST: No trees, pretty clearing. 686 00:58:05,398 --> 00:58:08,693 As long as we don't get the goats doing the tango on these things. 687 00:58:09,235 --> 00:58:10,403 ST: First panel. 688 00:58:12,697 --> 00:58:13,698 ST: It is good. 689 00:58:18,828 --> 00:58:22,874 SM: You just get them in spots. This one looks like it's gonna need to be loosened. 690 00:58:23,208 --> 00:58:25,251 We've almost got our first sub-array. 691 00:58:25,627 --> 00:58:27,128 Sterling Richard: We got a 35.5. 692 00:58:33,801 --> 00:58:37,180 Doug Ratcliff: Okay, now I'm gonna just pull it all through. Alright? 693 00:58:49,484 --> 00:58:50,527 ST: Alright. 694 00:58:51,694 --> 00:58:54,280 SM: Alright. We got three kilowatts. 695 00:58:55,031 --> 00:58:56,407 ST: Congratulations. 696 00:58:57,325 --> 00:58:58,326 [laughter] 697 00:59:00,453 --> 00:59:01,371 ST: It's awesome. 698 00:59:01,371 --> 00:59:02,872 The Arhuacos wanted to help. 699 00:59:03,289 --> 00:59:08,294 They're farmers and were able to knock out the trenches for the conduits in a matter of hours. 700 00:59:13,216 --> 00:59:17,136 ST: I think when we left a year and a month ago, we all had that moral conflict within us. 701 00:59:18,012 --> 00:59:23,351 The conflict of, "Will this improve this community or not?" 702 00:59:25,144 --> 00:59:28,356 The challenge, I believe, that they're wise enough to know about and face 703 00:59:28,356 --> 00:59:34,070 is here in the beautiful Sierra Nevada, places like this are becoming encroached upon. 704 00:59:34,654 --> 00:59:38,283 And I think they know that they have to be part of that. 705 00:59:38,908 --> 00:59:45,331 And my hope is through all of you and those that we reach, 706 00:59:45,331 --> 00:59:49,627 we can communicate what they bring and share 707 00:59:50,128 --> 00:59:54,799 so that this busy, crazy world that we come from 708 00:59:55,133 --> 00:59:57,176 can become more like this one. 709 00:59:58,428 --> 01:00:02,390 And if we can be one small voice in how to find that balance, 710 01:00:02,390 --> 01:00:06,394 then I think we will have made a little bit of a difference. 711 01:00:08,021 --> 01:00:10,898 SM: We're moving into another phase on this work, 712 01:00:10,898 --> 01:00:13,776 we've got it as we say in the trades, we're out of the ground now. 713 01:00:13,901 --> 01:00:16,696 So now we're gonna set up the electrical system, 714 01:00:16,696 --> 01:00:18,740 and so I wanted to just have a brief talk. 715 01:00:19,574 --> 01:00:25,830 Essentially, what we're doing is we're protecting the wiring from kids, animals, 716 01:00:26,164 --> 01:00:29,042 and that's why you see a light switch this high. 717 01:00:29,667 --> 01:00:33,755 That's so kids don't run in here when everybody else is busy with something else 718 01:00:33,755 --> 01:00:36,215 and turn everything on, they can't reach that so well. 719 01:00:37,133 --> 01:00:39,177 ST: If we could put a little glue on there and then...[click] 720 01:00:41,596 --> 01:00:44,349 Paula: More? More? Yes. 721 01:00:45,016 --> 01:00:47,352 ST: Yes Eric, yes Paula. 722 01:00:47,727 --> 01:00:49,854 DT: It just pops on actually. Sarah Jane Todd: Oh. 723 01:00:50,271 --> 01:00:52,940 SM: So, every room's going to have a light. 724 01:00:53,149 --> 01:00:55,109 DT: Ta-da. Everyone: Yay. 725 01:00:55,360 --> 01:00:58,112 SM: We spoke a lot about sustainability, 726 01:00:58,112 --> 01:01:02,867 and the Achilles heel to all of these mini-grid systems is the battery. 727 01:01:03,451 --> 01:01:06,663 So the more times the light gets used, 728 01:01:06,663 --> 01:01:09,082 the more time that ceiling fans are running, 729 01:01:09,374 --> 01:01:11,042 the bigger the battery has to be. 730 01:01:12,669 --> 01:01:16,172 To wire the battery, we called in the professionals from Bogota. 731 01:01:17,715 --> 01:01:20,551 Every battery in every off-grid village 732 01:01:20,551 --> 01:01:23,054 is technologically complex and dangerous, 733 01:01:23,054 --> 01:01:25,139 if not handled correctly. 734 01:01:32,772 --> 01:01:35,483 It may be the Achilles heel of the mini-grid, 735 01:01:35,817 --> 01:01:38,319 but it's also what makes it possible. 736 01:01:41,906 --> 01:01:43,157 SM: Good work, fellas. 737 01:01:43,783 --> 01:01:45,910 As a battery, that's as pretty as they get. 738 01:01:46,411 --> 01:01:47,078 Alright. 739 01:01:50,540 --> 01:01:52,834 SM: It's in place. [laughing] 740 01:01:53,960 --> 01:01:57,088 In 10 years' time, the battery will need to be replaced. 741 01:01:57,797 --> 01:01:59,674 The Arhuacos wanted this refrigerator, 742 01:01:59,799 --> 01:02:02,218 so they could sell cold drinks and popsicles 743 01:02:02,218 --> 01:02:06,973 to raise $10,000 to $15,000 to buy a new battery when the time comes. 744 01:02:08,808 --> 01:02:12,437 SM: A lot of electricity is about bringing the power to the load, 745 01:02:12,437 --> 01:02:13,771 which is the lights, 746 01:02:13,771 --> 01:02:17,108 and then switches are what interrupt that power. 747 01:02:17,108 --> 01:02:21,112 If you make a bad connection, it's just like a switch. 748 01:02:21,112 --> 01:02:23,489 It just breaks that continuity and then nothing happens, 749 01:02:23,489 --> 01:02:26,117 and then you don't know, is it that connection? 750 01:02:26,117 --> 01:02:27,577 Is it that connection? 751 01:02:27,577 --> 01:02:30,580 Is it in the light, is it in the electronics that feed the light? 752 01:02:30,580 --> 01:02:32,415 Did somebody do something wrong back there? 753 01:02:32,415 --> 01:02:36,753 So one error here means checking sometimes five or six places, 754 01:02:36,919 --> 01:02:39,297 which really sets the whole group back, 755 01:02:39,297 --> 01:02:42,967 especially if it's Friday night and the goat's cooking, and you're trying to figure out why 756 01:02:42,967 --> 01:02:46,471 your circuit isn't lighting and everyone else is. 757 01:02:48,931 --> 01:02:52,018 We'd need everyone's help for the last step of the install. 758 01:02:52,685 --> 01:02:55,730 The Arhuacos had turned a tree into this light post, 759 01:02:56,189 --> 01:02:59,567 and the tropical hardwood was nearly as heavy as steel. 760 01:03:22,215 --> 01:03:23,549 DT: I always wanted to be a brace. 761 01:03:24,050 --> 01:03:25,968 Solar micro-grids like this one 762 01:03:26,093 --> 01:03:30,431 and solar home systems may not have the power of a coal plant or a dam 763 01:03:30,431 --> 01:03:32,266 to run cities and businesses. 764 01:03:32,850 --> 01:03:36,270 But they'll bring electricity to millions of off-grid citizens, 765 01:03:36,437 --> 01:03:39,649 allowing their first steps into the modern world. 766 01:03:41,359 --> 01:03:44,862 All that was left here was for the panels to charge the battery, 767 01:03:45,238 --> 01:03:49,700 so we could switch on the lights for the first time ever in Gunchukwa. 768 01:03:55,289 --> 01:03:58,501 Perhaps the biggest energy challenge in the developing world, 769 01:03:58,876 --> 01:04:01,420 affecting both urban and rural citizens 770 01:04:01,420 --> 01:04:06,759 is how to move from wood and other biomass to fuels that produce less smoke. 771 01:04:07,009 --> 01:04:10,847 In Nepal, I was ready to see how they're making this transition. 772 01:04:11,347 --> 01:04:14,725 I'd start in a suburb of the capital city, Kathmandu, 773 01:04:14,725 --> 01:04:18,062 where this plant bottles Liquefied Petroleum Gas, or LPG, 774 01:04:18,729 --> 01:04:21,315 the same fuel used in gas barbecue grills. 775 01:04:21,315 --> 01:04:23,150 ST: We are surrounded by canisters. 776 01:04:45,089 --> 01:04:47,258 So this operation is really growing then. 777 01:04:53,848 --> 01:04:59,061 ST: How many homes are on LPG now, do you think? Just rough percentage? 778 01:04:59,061 --> 01:05:02,064 Amod Pokhrel: In Kathmandu Valley, 94%. 779 01:05:02,273 --> 01:05:03,399 Oh, it's that high? 780 01:05:03,399 --> 01:05:09,447 Yeah, 94% of the homes have LPG. And 6% of households still use biomass. 781 01:05:09,447 --> 01:05:11,157 ST: That's not much, though. AP: Yeah, yeah. 782 01:05:13,951 --> 01:05:17,872 ST: We talked about, it's a better fuel. What are some of the challenges? 783 01:05:17,872 --> 01:05:22,418 AP: There are many challenges. For example, 100% comes from India. 784 01:05:23,044 --> 01:05:26,672 Nepal is dependent on India and there have been some hiccups, 785 01:05:26,672 --> 01:05:30,635 like there was a blockade in 2015, immediately after the earthquake 786 01:05:30,927 --> 01:05:34,639 and the supply was cut for about five-six months. 787 01:05:35,056 --> 01:05:37,683 Because Nepal has a different and a very difficult geography. 788 01:05:37,683 --> 01:05:40,269 Then, prices increasing also, that's another challenge. 789 01:05:40,478 --> 01:05:43,314 Because it depends on international market price also. 790 01:05:43,314 --> 01:05:46,484 So, there are many challenges also associated with this. 791 01:05:46,651 --> 01:05:48,736 ST: Nothing's perfect. AP: Nothing's perfect. 792 01:05:51,322 --> 01:05:52,490 ST: Ready to take us? 793 01:05:54,533 --> 01:05:57,244 ST: So it's interesting where all the different people live, the things. 794 01:06:01,832 --> 01:06:04,168 These look like pretty modern buildings over here. 795 01:06:05,461 --> 01:06:06,754 Here's the facility. 796 01:06:07,838 --> 01:06:12,593 In lieu of pipelines, this is Nepal's LPG distribution network. 797 01:06:12,593 --> 01:06:14,720 Gas comes from refineries in India, 798 01:06:14,720 --> 01:06:16,931 on ever smaller modes of transportation, 799 01:06:17,264 --> 01:06:19,100 to reach the people who use it. 800 01:06:19,684 --> 01:06:22,269 AP: We'll put this cylinder on a bicycle. 801 01:06:22,269 --> 01:06:23,980 ST: On a bicycle? AP: On a bicycle, yeah. 802 01:06:23,980 --> 01:06:24,855 ST: Oh good. 803 01:06:24,855 --> 01:06:27,066 AP: Yeah, so one bike can carry two canisters. 804 01:06:27,066 --> 01:06:31,821 ST: Okay, the roads look pretty good for biking. How about I try it? 805 01:06:31,821 --> 01:06:34,073 AP: Sure, yeah. ST: Can I bike? AP: Yeah, sure. 806 01:06:34,240 --> 01:06:36,283 AP: We'll help you put on the canister. ST: Let's take them to a family. 807 01:06:36,534 --> 01:06:37,868 AP: Just go straight. ST: Okay. 808 01:06:37,868 --> 01:06:39,453 AP: And then turn left and I'll see you there. 809 01:06:40,121 --> 01:06:42,832 ST: This might not go very straight, but we're gonna give it a good run. 810 01:06:42,832 --> 01:06:45,209 Wow, where did my heels go? Alright, we're out of here. 811 01:06:58,764 --> 01:07:00,391 ST: This is the house? AP: Yeah, this is the house. 812 01:07:00,641 --> 01:07:01,600 ST: This is the house? 813 01:07:02,184 --> 01:07:03,728 AP: Yeah, everybody needs energy. 814 01:07:04,729 --> 01:07:07,815 [foreign language] 815 01:07:19,744 --> 01:07:21,579 AP: There's a blue flame. 816 01:07:23,748 --> 01:07:26,709 ST: And no emissions, no smoke, no... 817 01:07:26,709 --> 01:07:28,878 AP: No smoke. ST: Very clean. AP: Yes, very clean. 818 01:07:28,878 --> 01:07:31,047 ST: Ask her if she enjoys cooking with it. 819 01:07:31,047 --> 01:07:33,132 [foreign language] 820 01:07:37,261 --> 01:07:39,472 AP: Yeah, it's easy. ST: It's easy. 821 01:07:40,765 --> 01:07:45,061 In urban Nepal, most households have chosen this easier, cleaner fuel, 822 01:07:45,394 --> 01:07:48,731 which is available, because there's a system to transport it. 823 01:07:50,524 --> 01:07:54,278 But in rural Nepal, where the roads are few and often unpaved, 824 01:07:54,695 --> 01:07:56,781 LPG canisters are harder to come by. 825 01:07:57,615 --> 01:08:00,910 Here, families need another alternative to wood. 826 01:08:01,243 --> 01:08:03,662 AP: The mountains. ST: Yeah, that's beautiful. And the valley. 827 01:08:05,831 --> 01:08:08,626 ST: A bunch of dried corn on the roof. 828 01:08:17,468 --> 01:08:19,720 So, your kitchen. 829 01:08:20,137 --> 01:08:22,723 And you're cooking, you're boiling something here, I can see. 830 01:08:22,848 --> 01:08:25,476 [foreign language] 831 01:08:27,770 --> 01:08:29,105 ST: Making tea. AP: Tea. 832 01:08:30,648 --> 01:08:31,941 What are you cooking with? 833 01:08:32,733 --> 01:08:35,236 [foreign language] 834 01:08:35,528 --> 01:08:37,071 S: Gas ST: Gas? 835 01:08:37,905 --> 01:08:38,864 Gobar gas. 836 01:08:39,448 --> 01:08:42,993 So, Gobar gas is a dung-based gas, like biogas. 837 01:08:43,410 --> 01:08:44,662 Animal dung-based biogas. 838 01:08:46,664 --> 01:08:48,457 AP: It's cow dung. ST: Cow dung. Okay. 839 01:08:48,457 --> 01:08:49,792 And you like it? 840 01:08:50,835 --> 01:08:53,462 [foreign language] 841 01:08:57,049 --> 01:09:00,511 AP: Yes, you don't have to buy cylinder, it's free. ST: Right. 842 01:09:03,180 --> 01:09:04,348 AP: So you have one cow. 843 01:09:04,473 --> 01:09:06,892 They can drink milk and then use dung. 844 01:09:07,560 --> 01:09:11,147 ST: So they drink the milk, and they use the dung and you cook again. 845 01:09:11,147 --> 01:09:12,189 It's a perfect circle. 846 01:09:18,195 --> 01:09:22,366 ST: So we're going to get biomass and look at biogas? 847 01:09:22,366 --> 01:09:24,702 AP: So we'll use dung. 848 01:09:24,702 --> 01:09:26,912 ST: We'll use dung? AP: This is cow dung. 849 01:09:27,371 --> 01:09:28,622 ST: What's she gonna do? 850 01:09:28,622 --> 01:09:30,291 AP: She'll put this dung in the bucket. 851 01:09:30,291 --> 01:09:31,208 ST: She will? AP: Yeah. 852 01:09:32,042 --> 01:09:34,253 ST: I guess I probably ought to help, huh? AP: Yeah. 853 01:09:35,171 --> 01:09:37,464 ST: Oh, nice. That's nice. 854 01:09:39,175 --> 01:09:41,010 ST: Biogas. AP: Biogas. 855 01:09:47,141 --> 01:09:49,476 ST: That's just a fresh one. AP: Yes. 856 01:09:49,643 --> 01:09:50,644 [laughing] 857 01:09:52,563 --> 01:09:54,773 AP: So she'll put water. Do you wanna wash your hands? 858 01:09:54,773 --> 01:09:56,609 ST: Oh, yeah, yeah, I'll wash my hands, sure. 859 01:09:57,443 --> 01:09:58,736 AP: It'll serve two purposes. 860 01:09:59,612 --> 01:10:02,156 ST: There you go. Efficiency. 861 01:10:02,239 --> 01:10:04,116 AP: Efficiency, yeah. ST: In every step. 862 01:10:04,700 --> 01:10:05,284 ST: There you go. 863 01:10:05,284 --> 01:10:06,285 [foreign language] 864 01:10:06,702 --> 01:10:08,120 ST: Oh she's got to mix it first. 865 01:10:08,871 --> 01:10:10,289 AP: Yeah, mix it. It has to be thoroughly mixed. 866 01:10:10,289 --> 01:10:11,999 ST: Oh, I'm glad I already washed my hands. 867 01:10:13,584 --> 01:10:15,461 AP: It has to be thoroughly mixed and then stir it. 868 01:10:21,383 --> 01:10:23,010 ST: Now I take this here? 869 01:10:24,178 --> 01:10:24,929 ST: Now I pour it? 870 01:10:28,265 --> 01:10:29,934 ST: Alright. Oh, yeah, that's nice. That's not very deep. 871 01:10:35,606 --> 01:10:37,191 AP: So the toilet is also connected. 872 01:10:37,942 --> 01:10:39,985 ST: This is the... AP: Human waste also goes there. 873 01:10:40,277 --> 01:10:43,864 ST: Nobody's there, luckily. I just opened the door. 874 01:10:44,031 --> 01:10:49,912 So Amod, here we got a concrete canister and a bunch of stuff in it. 875 01:10:50,079 --> 01:10:51,497 And then there's gas up in the kitchen. 876 01:10:51,497 --> 01:10:52,706 What's the process? 877 01:10:52,790 --> 01:10:57,920 AP: So this is an inlet, you put mix of dung and then water, you stir it, 878 01:10:57,920 --> 01:11:02,716 And then methane is in the bacteria that works on the manure. 879 01:11:03,509 --> 01:11:05,094 And then it generates biogas. 880 01:11:05,094 --> 01:11:09,348 And then people get biogas through that pipe. That yellow pipe you'll see. 881 01:11:09,348 --> 01:11:13,060 And then it goes to that house. So this is a 6 cubic meter biogas system. 882 01:11:13,060 --> 01:11:15,688 But, people are building like 20 cubic meter. 883 01:11:16,021 --> 01:11:18,190 ST: Well, let's go see one of the bigger ones. AP: Yeah, let's go. 884 01:11:31,036 --> 01:11:35,582 ST: So, where do you put in the dung and the water? 885 01:11:35,582 --> 01:11:37,167 AP: So it will be there. ST: Oh, wow. 886 01:11:37,167 --> 01:11:39,712 AP: So it will be there. ST: That's a big room there. AP: It's a big room, yeah. 887 01:11:39,712 --> 01:11:42,715 ST: There's a concrete dome over the big chamber. AP: Yeah. 888 01:11:42,965 --> 01:11:44,842 And how much biogas will this make? 889 01:11:45,301 --> 01:11:46,427 [foreign language] 890 01:11:46,427 --> 01:11:52,349 So it provides you with gas enough for eight hours to cook food for six family members. 891 01:11:52,349 --> 01:11:53,225 Wow. 892 01:11:56,353 --> 01:12:01,025 ST: So, wonderful system. Where can it be put around the world? 893 01:12:01,317 --> 01:12:04,278 It can go a lot of places. For example, if it works in Nepal. 894 01:12:04,528 --> 01:12:07,906 There's lots of opportunity to upscale this in South Asia and Africa. 895 01:12:07,906 --> 01:12:10,576 ST: South America? AP: South America. ST: Sure. That's good. 896 01:12:10,576 --> 01:12:12,995 AP: If it's possible in Nepal, then it's possible everywhere. 897 01:12:13,120 --> 01:12:14,163 ST: Right, right. 898 01:12:14,538 --> 01:12:18,667 Both these gas solutions: LPG and Biogas, 899 01:12:18,667 --> 01:12:22,296 produce a tiny fraction of the particulates of burning wood. 900 01:12:22,755 --> 01:12:25,716 And everywhere that particulate pollution has declined, 901 01:12:25,716 --> 01:12:28,594 respiratory disease has plummeted along with it. 902 01:12:28,969 --> 01:12:34,224 LPG use is growing rapidly, especially in urban areas across Asia and Africa, 903 01:12:34,475 --> 01:12:38,937 where there are refineries to produce the gas and road systems to transport it. 904 01:12:39,355 --> 01:12:42,399 There are half a million biogas systems in Nepal alone. 905 01:12:42,900 --> 01:12:45,861 These could be well suited to rural areas around the world, 906 01:12:46,320 --> 01:12:49,490 wherever there's livestock to make the manure that fuels them, 907 01:12:49,490 --> 01:12:52,743 and temperate climates to keep them from freezing or drying out. 908 01:12:53,577 --> 01:12:55,371 These modern cooking fuels, 909 01:12:55,371 --> 01:12:59,583 combined with access to affordable on-grid and off-grid electricity, 910 01:12:59,792 --> 01:13:04,213 will help literally billions of people live better, healthier lives. 911 01:13:06,382 --> 01:13:10,177 For my last stop in Nepal, Amod wanted to show me the newest alternative to wood. 912 01:13:11,804 --> 01:13:16,016 As grid electricity from hydropower becomes more available and reliable, 913 01:13:16,392 --> 01:13:19,269 a market for electric cook-tops is springing up. 914 01:13:20,771 --> 01:13:23,774 AP: So Scott, this is the store that I was referring to, 915 01:13:23,774 --> 01:13:25,275 and one of the entrepreneurs 916 01:13:25,275 --> 01:13:27,403 that is selling induction stoves. 917 01:13:29,113 --> 01:13:29,780 ST: It's beautiful. 918 01:13:30,155 --> 01:13:31,156 [foreign language] 919 01:13:31,865 --> 01:13:34,535 AP: So if you want to cook rice. ST: Right. 920 01:13:34,535 --> 01:13:37,079 AP: Then you press this rice button. ST: Yeah. 921 01:13:37,079 --> 01:13:39,665 AP: So, if you want to boil water, then you press water button. 922 01:13:39,790 --> 01:13:43,127 [foreign language] 923 01:13:43,544 --> 01:13:48,173 Yeah, if you wanna fry, then you can press this. So she's saying that it's easy. 924 01:13:48,757 --> 01:13:52,219 How many of these have you sold in your store? 925 01:13:52,511 --> 01:13:55,973 [foreign language] 926 01:13:56,014 --> 01:14:00,269 Overall 60 induction stoves have been sold. But she has sold 10. 927 01:14:00,394 --> 01:14:03,188 ST: 10 from here? AP: 10 from here. ST: And how much time did that take? 928 01:14:04,898 --> 01:14:06,358 Within one month. 929 01:14:06,358 --> 01:14:08,444 Wow, that's amazing. 930 01:14:09,027 --> 01:14:11,530 Are you seeing that bigger trend in the Valley as well? 931 01:14:11,530 --> 01:14:14,700 Yes, yes, so other people are buying it. 932 01:14:15,033 --> 01:14:17,161 From other markets also or other stores also. 933 01:14:18,203 --> 01:14:19,872 How much would this cost? 934 01:14:19,872 --> 01:14:21,206 [foreign language] 935 01:14:22,124 --> 01:14:24,209 5500 Nepali rupees. 936 01:14:24,209 --> 01:14:29,756 5500 rupees. So that's about $55. That's a lot. 937 01:14:29,965 --> 01:14:32,092 AP: Yeah. ST: But you're selling still that many. 938 01:14:32,634 --> 01:14:36,930 You know what? Sold. I'll take it, I'll take it today. 939 01:14:39,433 --> 01:14:40,517 That's beautiful. 940 01:14:42,352 --> 01:14:44,563 ST: Thank you so much. Store Owner: Thank you. 941 01:14:54,740 --> 01:14:56,533 [foreign language] 942 01:14:58,035 --> 01:14:59,745 I found your son out there. 943 01:15:02,581 --> 01:15:04,124 We have something to give you. 944 01:15:07,586 --> 01:15:09,713 Electric cooking. 945 01:15:14,885 --> 01:15:16,678 Have you seen that before? 946 01:15:19,264 --> 01:15:20,599 ST: No. Should we open it? 947 01:15:23,268 --> 01:15:25,479 It's for your pot to sit. 948 01:15:31,109 --> 01:15:36,323 Now, we plug it in to electricity, 949 01:15:37,324 --> 01:15:41,954 which Amod will help you get to your house 950 01:15:42,412 --> 01:15:45,123 and it costs less money than wood. 951 01:15:57,469 --> 01:16:00,430 Very good. And there will be no smoke. 952 01:16:09,690 --> 01:16:11,525 [foreign language] 953 01:16:13,151 --> 01:16:16,071 She's asking if we'd like to have tea. 954 01:16:16,780 --> 01:16:17,823 Absolutely. 955 01:16:17,823 --> 01:16:19,116 [laughing] 956 01:16:19,116 --> 01:16:20,075 Let's have tea. 957 01:16:24,288 --> 01:16:26,790 In Gunchukwa, it's Friday night, 958 01:16:26,790 --> 01:16:28,625 and the goat is cooking, 959 01:16:28,834 --> 01:16:30,669 and there was just one thing left to do. 960 01:16:34,715 --> 01:16:39,177 We gathered everyone in the village square to turn the lights on together. 961 01:16:41,096 --> 01:16:42,723 It's a very exciting time. 962 01:16:43,098 --> 01:16:45,559 [foreign language] 963 01:16:46,059 --> 01:16:49,688 A year ago we came as strangers to Gunchukwa. 964 01:16:50,147 --> 01:16:52,024 Today, we are here as friends. 965 01:16:52,274 --> 01:16:57,404 And now we're going to count backwards from five. 966 01:16:57,738 --> 01:17:03,076 We will say, "Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Light," together. 967 01:17:03,869 --> 01:17:06,204 We will do it very loudly. Are you ready? 968 01:17:06,997 --> 01:17:08,290 ST: In Espanol and English. 969 01:17:08,999 --> 01:17:10,542 OM: Yes. Okay. ST: Ready. 970 01:17:11,335 --> 01:17:20,802 Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Light. 971 01:17:56,380 --> 01:17:58,423 ST: On the count of three, a big duni. 972 01:17:58,882 --> 01:18:00,676 Everyone: One, Two, Three... 973 01:18:54,187 --> 01:18:57,149 Energy powers the people to power themselves. 974 01:18:57,482 --> 01:19:01,403 Find out how you can help end energy poverty at switchon.org.