Mission
Mission
GAM-Solar Energy’s mission is to play a leading role and bring fundamental change in the three key-sectors for development: Clean Water, Electricity and Food production (through solar powered irrigation systems for agricultural projects), to bring technical and commercial innovation, to create new economy and employment through free and abundantly available solar power, especially for the youth.
Solar Power, Water, Climate Change, Development & the Future
The Gambia is one of Africa’s poorest nations, ranking 175th out of 188 countries in the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index. The economy of The Gambia has stagnated for many years, which affected its development and made many youth to take the ‘backway’ to Europe.
GAM-Solar in close cooperation with its suppliers and financiers is a one-stop system supplier and installer standing for sustainable solar power and latest energy technologies. This includes innovative financing models to make the solar systems affordable and beneficial for the people of The Gambia and the region, while at the same time reducing fossil fuel imports and emissions causing climate change.
On December 1st, 2016 the people of The Gambia democratically voted for change of Government. GAM-Solar management congratulates the Gambian people with this achievement and supports the new leader. Through this new beginning GAM-Solar desires to play a leading role in the development of the country and create employment through its village level franchise concept and large-scale application of solar energy technologies.
With the companies ‘on the ground’ expertise as social entrepreneurs since 1998 and its built technical capacity with currently 25 staffs, GAM-Solar management senses a true responsibility to take the lead with an ambitious solar program with high quality, reliable products and systems through a new innovative financing model that gives responsibility to the beneficiaries to repay the investment in their solar community systems through affordable fees for water and electricity, whereby a reasonable return on investment can be guaranteed to investors though tapping of abundantly and freely available solar energy.
Examples of targeted Solar Projects for “Power to the People”
- Bundling of smaller to medium PV projects through initiating a Solar Trust Fund managed by a designated local bank
- To initiate a low-cost affordable LED Light Program for rural villages in GAM-Solar’s Franchise concept
- Replace the existing ~4000 sodium street lights by LED armatures powered by centralized solar arrays
- Add solar arrays to the existing NAWEC borehole pumps to free up grid power during radiation hours
- Build solar parks supporting the national grid (UNDP financed feasibility study of July 2016 for Farafenni and Basse)
- Install grid-connected solar systems on schools, hospitals, clinics, offices, residences and institutions; excessive energy during weekends and holidays can be fed into the grid, thus creating income generation for the users and add to the capacity of the national grid.
To achieve all this investments are needed. Through GAM-Solar Energy, supported by its overseas suppliers and in cooperation with the new Gambian Government, implementation of solar projects can be direct to the beneficiaries; we know the needs of so many communities and we install guaranteed sustainable solar systems that can work for many years to alleviate poverty and bring economic development.
Part of GAM-Solar’s mission is to invite investors and donors to join GAM-Solar’s efforts to further develop this wonderful peaceful country with a new beginning of democracy, and as from the inauguration of the new President on February 18th, 2017, the truly ‘smiling coast of Africa’.
Hans Noteboom, Co-founder and Managing Director