ARMOR continues battling energy poverty
February 8, 2018
A year after the Nantes-based remanufacturer signed a partnership with Electriciens sans Frontières, both partners are deepening their commitment to tackling energy poverty.
Over the past year, ARMOR has donated over a Euro ($1.2) to the charity every time one of its Beautiful Light Factory products was sold, and now both the remanufacturer and the charity are intensifying their collaboration with “an original experiment in the field of education.”
Other projects are also on the drawing board, all with the goal of continuing the fight against energy poverty.
On 6 February 2018, Hubert de Boisredon, the CEO of Armor, officially handed over to the Secretary-General of Electriciens Sans Frontières, Jean-Pierre Cerdan, the cheque for the donation derived from the sale of Beautiful Light Factory (BLF) products in 2017. This cheque will enable the equivalent of 7 classrooms to be lit for a year, or 3 health centres over a similar period. The BLF products (Solar Bag, Solar Set and Solar Pocket), incorporating the flexible and low-carbon photovoltaic film designed by Armor are described as “solar products that carry real meaning.”
“Through the sale of our solar products we are delighted to be able to support the worldwide efforts of Electriciens Sans Frontières to provide access to water and energy for the poorest communities”, states Hubert de Boisredon.
In November 2017, Armor’s commitment took shape on the ground through a novel educational project for Electriciens Sans Frontières at Al Ka’Abneh school, near Jericho in the Palestinian Territories. Two mobile power kits composed of a new type of solar charger and a lamp selected for its compactness and low weight were made available to teachers and pupils. The schoolchildren can recharge the lamp during the day and take it home to enable them to do their homework, as well as benefiting the whole family. The initiative enables the children to work after school, giving them every chance of success and also getting their parents involved.
“The experiment at this school in a Bedouin village without electricity demonstrates the need to provide innovative techniques to support children’s education and improve the living conditions of their families”, emphasises Jean-Yves Retière, regional representative of Electriciens Sans Frontières for the Pays-de-la-Loire region.
By enabling both teachers and families to benefit from this photovoltaic innovation, ARMOR and Electriciens Sans Frontières are convinced that access to solar energy is a vital factor in development and education. The objective is to extend this pilot project to other educational establishments in the Middle East and Africa.
François Barreau, the project manager at Armor, relates the enthusiasm the initiative has generated: “I have nothing but admiration for the commitment of the volunteers at Electriciens Sans Frontières and the groups of teachers working on the ground in difficult conditions. The confidence they give us pushes us to improve our products and ensure that they offer maximum benefit on the ground. This experiment enables our kits to become more versatile by adapting them to the real-life conditions in which they are used. ”
The partnership between Electriciens Sans Frontières and Armor will soon take on new forms, according to the remanufacturer; “notably through the provision of mobile first-response emergency power kits for communities falling victim to climate-related disasters.”
Categories : Around the Industry
Tags : ARMOR Charity Electriciens sans Frontieres Energy Poverty Partnership
