Impact Spotlight
Solar energy access for 300 people
Solar installation and sustainability training for 15 people
Joint hydroelectric system to power 200 additional homes
About
In San Francisco de Opalaca, a Honduran municipality, Indigenous Lencan families live off-grid and without access to energy.
Since 1992, Asociación Red de Desarrollo Sostenible Honduras RDS-HN has worked alongside remote communities like San Francisco de Opalaca to catalyze sustainable development alongside the community’s ancestral ways of life. Whether it’s working with farmers to introduce technology to improve crop yields, improving communications between communities by establishing radio networks, or using solar to help families access energy for the first time, RDS-HN works alongside communities to co-development solutions that meet their needs.
Following the installation of a hydroelectric plant, RDS-HN is working with the most remote homes in San Francisco de Opalaca to ensure that every member of the community can turn the lights on, access basic refrigeration, and charge electronics.
“Energy autonomy is a human right, it’s our job to support others in exercising it.”
HF Partnership
With the support of the Honnold Foundation, RDS-HN is bringing energy access to a community of 300 Lencan households for the first time, combining 50 battery-backed home solar systems with a pre-existing hydroelectric project to ultimately provide electricity to the entire community.
In addition to the installation, a “train the trainer” model ensures that community members perform basic maintenance on the system.
In the News
