APPLICATIONS
of electricity
Transport
As almost everywhere in the world road transport relies on oil. Lesotho yearly imports more than 300 million litres of refined petroleum products. If all road transport shifts to electric, there is an additional need for 675 GWh/year.
With the local production of wind and solar energy Lesotho can cover this additional need. A second advantage of the shift to electric transport is the significant reduction of CO2 emissions to combat climate change and the reduction of air pollution in the cities.
In Kenia, diesel powered minibuses and 4×4’s are being transformed to electric vehicles (www.opibus.se).
Uganda is building a factory for electric vehicles that would be very valuable for Lesotho as well (www.kiiramotors.co).
Health and environment
Today, nationwide 38% of households in Lesotho have access to electricity, 60% for urban households and 18% for rural households. The rural households rely on paraffin and candles for lighting, wood and dung for heating and cooking. Burning these fuels in the home can lead to negative health effects.
Primarily in urban areas, shifting to electric power for cooking and heating can bring more comfort and clean air in the houses. At the same time wood and other biomaterials can be left in the field, this reduces the pressure on the land and helps to avoid erosion.