April Alderdice, National Renewable Energy Lab. Solar Electric Light Fund Renewable energy technologies can greatly improve the lives of people in developing countries.
Women spend a large part of their day gathering firewood with which to cook.
They also contract respiratory and eye diseases from standing over smoky cooking fires all day. Solar cooking can greatly alleviate those problems. Solar food drying can help overcome problems with food preservation and seasonal food supply. Millions of lives that are lost each year due to water-related diseases can be saved by solar water purification and water distillation. Electricity can also greatly improve people's lives, by improving education, health care, agriculture and industry.