Rema is a village in the

Amhara Region The Amhara Region ( am, አማራ ክልል, Åmara Kilil), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people. Its capital is Bahir Dar which is the seat of the Reg ...

of Ethiopia, 220 km North of

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

. The special feature of the village is that almost only

solar panel A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a photo ...

s are used for electricity generation. In 2005 there was a plan to provide a diesel generator for the generation of electricity for the houses, schools, small businesses and a health clinic. The residents refused to accept the gift because the generator is used only a limited amount of time per day because they cannot afford the ever-increasing costs of diesel. In addition, the residents had seen the use of solar panels in the neighboring hamlet Kechemober. These were installed in 29 households and a school thanks to a pilot project of a German foundation. The people of Rema also wanted solar panels. After a thorough training of a number of local residents for the assembly, installation, and maintenance of solar panels, 1100 units were installed in 2007.

Microfinance Microfinance is a category of financial services targeting individuals and small businesses who lack access to conventional banking and related services. Microfinance includes microcredit, the provision of small loans to poor clients; savings ...

allowed the residents to pay the costs. In the year 2011, 2200 units were installed. Except for lighting with

LED lamps An LED lamp or LED light bulb is an electric light that produces light using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED lamps are significantly more energy-efficient than equivalent incandescent lamps and can be significantly more efficient than mos ...

for street lighting, in homes and schools - especially for evening adult education - solar energy is used for water pumps, disinfection of water, fridges and TVs. Because no

kerosene Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...

is used anymore for lighting, the number of complaints as a result of smoke (lung problems) is reduced. The peculiarity of the use of solar energy in this way led to a visit of

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

and his daughter

Chelsea Clinton Chelsea Victoria Clinton (born February 27, 1980) is an American writer and global health advocate. She is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ...

to the village in 2008.

References

Populated places in the Amhara Region {{Amhara-geo-stub