Power in Haiti

Haiti is considered by most to be the poorest country in the world.  With nearly three-quarters of the population living in poverty, it is hard to imagine the living conditions that Haitians deal with on a daily basis.  I have been lucky enough to visit Haiti three times, and see this poverty with my own eyes.  This video shows the poverty specifically in one Haitian video.

 

Above are pictures I took when I was in Haiti, and it shows just how tough it is to live for some families.  The photo on the left is a home that housed a family of five, and the right is a home that housed a family of 8, along with serving as a store that the family owns.

As you can imagine, most areas of Haiti do not have access to power. Prior to the earthquake in 2010, roughly one quarter of the population had access to electrical power, and only about half of those people were connected to that power legally (Energy).

Even for those that have access to power, the reliability of that power is very unreliable.  The current method used is inefficient generators that cost a lot to install, maintain, and run.  The amount of power generated versus the cost of that power generation is extremely inefficient.

So what is being done to solve these issues?  The main solution thus far has been to introduce alternative energy sources.  With a large portion of the country living in extremely remote areas, these alternative energy sources could be the key to getting power to these people.  However, in the main cities of Port-Au-Prince and Cap Haiten, the solution approach has been different.  Currently, some organizations are trying to obtain the funds to build a 10 mega-watt power plant to power these cities(Addressing Haiti's Energy Challenges, 2012).  Once these funds are obtained and the power plant is built, training will be required so that the people of Haiti can provide the necessary upkeep.  From there, other power plants can be built throughout the country, with the end goal being that 100% of people have access to electrical power.

The main concept behind every solution is that the people of Haiti have to help.  These power plants can not be given to them, because they will not last.  If the people of Haiti are not helping this process, progress will never be made.




Works Cited:

Addressing Haiti's Energy Challenges: a Key Priority in the Years to Come. (2012, September 15). Retrieved March 24, 2017, from http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2012/09/25/energy-supply-haiti

Energy. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2017, from https://www.usaid.gov/haiti/energy