A KENYAN island is installing solar PV panels in a bid to stop its inhabitants from catching malaria.
More than 4,000 solar panels are in the process of being installed in order to power insecticide-free mosquito traps.
Malaria, which kills 1.2 million people every year, is a big problem for the 30,000 people who live in Rusinga Island, which is situated in the eastern part of Lake Victoria.
It is hoped that the project could result in malaria being eradicated from the island and the panels will also prove doubly useful by providing the inhabitants with energy. Previously all energy came from kerosene generators.
A spokesperson for the EcoExperts said: “It is wonderful that the renewable energy generated form solar PV is being used for such good work. If solar can play a part in eradicating this deadly disease than this is fantastic news.
“Not only will the solar panels hopefully do much to help the health of the island’s inhabitants, but they will also allow them to read and socialise at night in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.”
If the project devised by The University of Wageningen in Netherlands proves successful it could be rolled out in other parts of the world.
Research leader Willem Takken said: “Our ultimate goal is to completely eliminate malaria from Rusinga Island, but we want to do this in an environmentally-friendly and sustainable way."
Rusinga Island is about 10 miles long and five miles wide with between 20,000 to 30,000 residents.
