Energy / Climate Change

June 14, 2013

 

Habitat for Humanity Launches Solar Project to Support Disaster-Hit Families with Disabled Members in Ofunato

Keywords: NGO / Citizen Renewable Energy 

JFS/Habitat for Humanity Launches Solar Project to Support Disaster-Hit Families with Disabled Members in Ofunato
Copyright Habitat for Humanity Japan


Habitat for Humanity Japan launched in November 2012 the "Solar Home Recovery Project" to support disaster-hit families with disabled family member(s) in restarting their lives. Through installation of solar panels on their house roofs, the project aims to help the families save on their long-term utility costs and earn money through the sale of excess electricity to regional utility providers under the feed-in tariff scheme.

For the first phase, Habitat will install photovoltaic generation systems with a capacity of 2-3 kilowatts per home at 13 single family homes in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture, The system installation was completed to the first family home on May 30, 2013. The cost of installation will be covered by Habitat and by the National and Prefectural Government subsidies for photovoltaic generation . Habitat estimates that each family will receive a profit from solar power generation of several thousand yen (about U.S.$50) per month, including excess electricity to be sold.

Habitat for Humanity is helping people suffering from poverty or disaster to stand on their own by building houses in about 80 countries in the world. In Japan, since the Great East Japan Earthquake, the organization has been repairing disaster-hit houses and improving the housing environment in temporary shelters.

Considering that emergency activities are almost over and many disaster-hit people require income to restart their lives from now on, Habitat plans to provide long-term assistance using solar energy generation system with a useful lifespan of 20 to 30 years. Prior to the start of the project, Habitat released an outline of the project on the website of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations, reliefWeb.

Related JFS article:
Japanese Non-Profit Supplying Disaster-Stricken Region with Temporary Wood Houses
Japanese NPO Expands Residential Solar Co-Ownership Project

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