Afghanistan positionpaper

POSITION PAPER ON PORTABLE SOLAR POWERED LIGHTS
FOR AFGHANISTAN

The United States and its NATO allies have joined together to bring peace, stability and
economic development to Afghanistan. At the heart of the US/NATO strategy is the
idea that, together with the Afghan government, the allies would put the needs of the
population first, thereby winning their hearts and minds and effecting real, positive,
change in the country.

We believe that lighting can be directly connected to achieving our strategic and
operational goals in Afghanistan – and do so with immediate results. More than
ninety percent of Afghanistan is off of the power grid, with the unfortunate reality that
most of the population lies waiting in darkness each night until the sun rises, because:

• They have only the expensive options of kerosene or natural gas, candles and
old fashioned flashlights, or wood or dung fires for illumination when the sun sets;
• Generators can be used to create electricity; however, the high reoccurring fuel
cost, risk of theft or IED attacks on the refueling convoys and negative
environmental impact make widespread use impractical;
• Crank or shake lights have poor performance, reliability issues and are not
consumer friendly with physical action frequently required;
• Fixed, home-scale solar installations are expensive, technically challenging to
operate and have reliability and solar panel theft issues. Also, a fixed system
does not allow for individual movement outside the home to socialize, use the
latrine or take care of livestock, for example;
• Large scale projects such as power stations and building of dams, transmission
and distribution lines, and related infrastructure, take years to complete, and,
during a war, are difficult to protect.

This lack of light is neither inevitable nor necessary. If the US/NATO allies, together
with the Afghan government, could bring light quickly to the people of Afghanistan, the
result would be a profound, lasting and positive improvement in the lives of the Afghan
people. Because of the availability of high performance, portable, solar powered lights,
the US/NATO allies and the Afghan government have an extraordinary opportunity to
make such an impact on a speedy and economical basis.

Affordable, reliable, high performance portable solar powered lights have only recently
become available due to scientific advances in three technologies – photovoltaics, light
emitting diodes (LEDs) and rechargeable batteries. SunNight Solar is the world leader
in this category – our BoGo Lights are simply technically and operationally the best on
the market. There is no better, nor more affordable, nor faster way to provide
sustainable and environmentally friendly off-grid lighting than the combination of these

SunNight Solar Enterprises LLC
FOR AFGHANISTAN

three technologies. By incorporating the most recent advances in these technologies in
our BoGo Lights, SNS has been able to create something truly new – what Time
magazine called a “portable light bulb.” SNS believes that it has been the rapid rate of
improvement in these technologies that helps explain why lighting has not been broadly
embraced as a developmental tool: in the past, this new and exciting option was simply
not available. But, it is available today, and should be implemented immediately in
Afghanistan.

Both President Hamid Karzai and President Barack Obama have made it clear: the
obstacles facing Afghanistan demand a new way of thinking about the challenges which
face us, as well as changes in the management, resources and focus of assistance to
the people of Afghanistan. A light bulb in every kitchen, as well as lights in police
stations and in medical clinics, will transform the night and change Afghanistan – from
the bottom up. The SNS BoGo Lights allow people to take greater control of their own
lives – whether it is going to the latrine at night, reading to their children (or having their
children read to them!), or doing some extra work to increase their income. For them,
as it is for us, lighting is empowerment.

A recent U.S. National Defense University paper states: Providing lighting to every
Afghan house, school and business would have an enormous impact. It’s what
people say they want most, and one former Afghan cabinet minister described a
light in every Afghan kitchen as being the most transformational single thing that
could be done.

We are in a race against time to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan population. A
number of senior officials, both civilian and military, Afghan and American, have noted
that the next twelve to eighteen months are critical. The following points, taken from US
policy papers and the Afghanistan National Development Strategy, define the
challenges; and we have commented on the impact lighting can have on these
challenges.

• The Afghan Central Government and the US/NATO allies suffer a lack of trust
and credibility among the population and we must begin to win their confidence
and persuade them we are there to help them.

Afghan Ministries, non-governmental organizations, Provincial Reconstruction
Teams and the US military forward operating bases can distribute lights
directly to their local communities. Lights can also be provided to the
population via village councils – all politics are local and, as General
McChrystal has noted, this is a retail war. There is no other item we can
provide to people in the developing world with a more immediate, personal
and more lasting impact then giving them light. When people say they want
electricity, they want light more than anything else a grid brings. The local
communities will be appreciative and that appreciation will be long-lived, as
the SNS BoGo Lights last for years prior to simple battery replacement, then

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FOR AFGHANISTAN

more years with the fresh batteries. (BoGo Lights can last for as long as
twenty years.) This is winning hearts and minds on a bottom-up, very
personal basis. Distribution can be locale specific; direct donation in most
cases, meeting set goals in other areas or working with new or existing NGO
or USAID programs related to education, health, or economic development, or
as part of a micro-enterprise development effort.

• We must increase the effectiveness of the local police and security forces.

There are a number of reports which indicate that the enemy has old-
fashioned flashlights, but the Afghan police, the Afghan Army and the recently
commissioned Afghan Public Protection Force do not. Conceding the night to
the enemy, giving the enemy both maneuver and surprise, can be greatly
negated with hand held lighting carried by our allies. SNS proposes to equip
the police, army and local security forces with BoGo Lights – a flashlight that
is superior to that used by the enemy. With most IEDs being placed at night,
having patrols with BoGo Lights will limit the enemy’s ability to deploy these
devices. Equipping the local security forces with the ability to light the night
will also reduce the incidence of common criminal activity and increase the
population’s safety and security.

• We must provide assistance to farmers, weaning them away from the opium
trade.

There is considerable evidence that farmers experience many benefits from
lighting. With lighting, they can, for example, repair tools, prepare seedlings,
keep records, move to farm land before daybreak and after the sun sets, and
operate irrigation systems at night. And, they can assist in the birthing of
livestock at night, resulting in more live births. All of this has huge, positive
impacts on agriculture and on the life of farmers, a critical goal in Afghanistan
where 70 percent of the population resides in rural areas. A recent news
article reported that, in the high summer heat in the southern provinces, many
farmers worked in the evenings and at night; equipping them with light would
increase the productivity of their labor, and their safety.

• We must deal with the issue of health – Afghanistan remains one of the most
dangerous countries in the world for a women to bear a child, among other health
issues.

In Africa and elsewhere, BoGo Lights are frequently used to assist in births
and medical emergences at night. They are also used as back up lighting at
clinics and hospitals when the grid fails or the generator is inoperative or out
of fuel.

• We must deal with the issue of corruption and the perception of corruption.

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FOR AFGHANISTAN

Distributing lights to create a lighting infrastructure, instead of distributing
money for infrastructure projects, greatly reduces the opportunities for graft
and corruption, especially if Americans are passing lights out directly to their
local communities. There is also no need for training or outside technical
experts, further reducing the expense of standard assistance programs.

• We must deal with the issue of gender inequality.

BoGo Lights replace kerosene and natural gas lighting, eliminating the fumes
from these sources. Women suffer disproportionately from the inhalation of
kerosene fumes due to in-home labors. According to the WHO, globally, 1.6
million people die each year from bio-mass inhalation. Also, BoGo Lights
expand women’s educational opportunities by facilitating home study.
Because many women lose their lives when forced to give birth in darkness,
BoGo Lights save lives, both mother and child.

• We must deal with the lack of education. With 44 percent of the population under
14 years of age, and half the schools in the county closed, this is a huge
challenge.

Education is greatly enhanced by lighting; of all the benefits, education is
most commonly cited as the number one benefit of lighting. In many cases,
children cannot read during the day due to field or cottage industry labor and
night is the only chance to read. Kerosene or natural gas lighting is too
expensive and illiteracy is perpetuated. Our lights are perfect study lights,
and many students can read with only one light in its room illumination mode,
and we have many testimonials from around the world.

• We must build up the local village councils. Both the Soviets and the Taliban
marginalized these groups and they are the keystone to long term stability.

Supplying lights to the local village councils empowers them and allows them
to control the night, not giving it by default to the Taliban. Giving the local
leadership lights allows them to better take care of their local consistencies
and demonstrates their care and concern, as well as that of the Afghan
government and the US/NATO allies.

• We must provide real economic assistance.

With light, cottage industries and small shops can stay open later, allowing for
greater income. In Africa, Coca-Cola experiences, on average, a 30% increase
in sales when a kiosk receives lighting. This has a huge impact. With BoGo
Lights providing additional hours for weaving, the carpet industry in
Afghanistan could immediately expand. BoGo Lights also make it possible for

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FOR AFGHANISTAN

small shops, restaurants, etc. to stay open longer, increasing income and
community.

• We must deal with internally displaced communities.

Lighting is invaluable in refugee camps. SNS has worked closely with the
UNHCR, which purchased 10,000 BoGo Lights last year for Dufar alone.
Lighting, particularly, greatly increases the safety and security of women in
camps.

• We must work better together, military and civilian, Afghan and American, as well
as with our international partners.

Light is something everyone understands and can support – military and
civilian, American or NATO ally.

• We must counter the enemy’s propaganda.

Placing the message “Gift from the American People” on a BoGo Light helps
counter the enemy’s propaganda claims of US disregard for the population.
Likewise, identifying the Ministry of Health or the Ministry for Rural
Development, for example, as the supplier of lights, will create the same
feelings of gratitude. It is hard to not appreciate a light, and the people who
provided it to you, when it transforms your life in such a positive manner.
Other messages or slogans in the local languages can be placed on the BoGo
Lights, using the lights as portable billboards. Also, small booklets, in the
local languages, describing American values and our goals in Afghanistan,
could be distributed with the lights.

• We must put programs in place which have a clear and demonstrable benefit to
the Afghan people, showing the media, Congress and the American people we
are taking action.

Providing BoGo Lights will be popular in the international media and with the
American and Afghan population – everyone can understand and support
lighting the night – creating a favorable reflection on the Afghan government
and the US/NATO allies. One of the reasons SunNight Solar and our BoGo
Lights have received so much publicity is that the stories of the impact of
these lights are so personal, accessible, dramatic and positive. Tens of
thousands of BoGo Lights have been purchased by Americans to be given as
gifts to people in developing countries who need light. More tens of
thousands of BoGo Lights have been purchased by humanitarian
organizations and NGO’s for people in the developing countries who need
light. The favorable publicity BoGo Lights will generate for Afghanistan will
build on a well-established foundation of other favorable stories and reports.

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FOR AFGHANISTAN

As an example of attention to this area, attached as Appendix A is a recent article
written by Congressman Steve Israel and Dr. Isobel Coleman, of the US Council on
Foreign Relations, on off grid lighting.

Perhaps the best summary of what BoGo Lights can do appeared in an editorial in the
New York Times about SunNight Solar:

May 25, 2007

Lighting the Way

Sometimes thinking small can get things done. To bring artificial light to an isolated
village or refugee camp could require building an enormous hydroelectric dam, followed
by laying hundreds of miles of cable. Or it could take the donation of a $10 solar
flashlight.
As Will Connors and Ralph Blumenthal reported in The Times recently, the
entrepreneur Mark Bent, through his company SunNight Solar, has developed and
manufactured a solar-powered flashlight that gives up to seven hours of light, before
recharging, and can last close to three years between battery replacements. The
flashlight retails for around $20 in American stores, but corporate donors have gotten
them for aid groups at half the price, a deep discount but still a profit for Mr. Bent.
One might be tempted to ask what's the big deal about a flashlight? In America they
often sit under car seats for years without being used, or are the object of fruitless
searching when the power goes out.
Artificial light is among the easiest things for people in the developed world to take for
granted. But to those living off the grid -- a number approaching 2 billion people
worldwide -- access to a safe, affordable source of light can be life-changing. The
productive day stretches past sunset to allow students to do schoolwork or small
vendors to extend their selling hours. Light means added safety, whether at home or
traveling alone, particularly for women. As a replacement for kerosene and wood fires,
the flashlights are a boon for the environment.
As technologies advance, people in wealthy countries carry ever smaller computers in
knapsacks and phones in their pockets. But the same advances bring simple, rugged
technologies like the solar torch within reach of the poor. The brightest minds shouldn't
be afraid to think incrementally. Often that's where you find the best results.

####

What is needed now is for the many parties working for the good of Afghanistan to
embrace the role of lighting in making a positive impact on the lives of the Afghan

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FOR AFGHANISTAN

people and to make a commitment to immediate action to realize this vision.
Specifically, what is needed is the

• engagement of the NGO community in developing these concepts and
incorporating BoGo Lights into their existing programs, and into new programs;
• incorporation of the distribution of BoGo Lights into the US/NATO military
strategy and tactical operations;
• incorporation of BoGo Lights into the USAID health, education, economic
development, women’s empowerment, housing and other programs;
• endorsement and engagement of the Afghan government in developing and
defining their needs for BoGo Lights and their distribution plans, and
communicating those needs to the US/NATO allies, to the NGO community and
to the people of the world, especially the American people; and
• greater publicity on the availability of a lighting solution that can have an
immediate, positive impact on the Afghan people that will help the US/NATO
allies and the Afghan government achieve their common goals for a peaceful,
more prosperous, more stable Afghanistan.

This position paper has been prepared by SunNight Solar Enterprises LLC, Houston,
Texas, as of August 17, 2009.

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FOR AFGHANISTAN

Rep. Steve Israel & Dr. Isobel Coleman

13 July 2009

Roll Back the Darkness in a Sustainable, Cost Effective Way
Imagine a U.S. development program that can dramatically improve global health --
even saving 4,000 lives a day. It can significantly reduce violence against women. It can
help combat the effects of climate change. It can enable millions of poor girls to attend
school. It can help the world's poorest save and earn more money. And these results
can be achieved with relatively small amounts of money in some of the most unstable
places like Pakistan and Somalia, where results are most needed.
We are talking about deploying small-scale solar devices through microfinance projects
designed to empower woman as small business leaders. Funding solar villages can
help meet the basic energy needs of the more than 3 billion people in the world with no
reliable access to electricity and be one of the highest returns on investment for U.S.
development assistance.
Every day, tens of thousands of people are burned by kerosene lamps. Not only are
these lamps dangerous and dirty, they are expensive and provide poor lighting, which
destroys eyesight. Solar-powered lanterns can replace the kerosene that billions of poor
families rely on to light their homes. Most importantly, solar-powered lanterns and the
hours of light they provide bring hours of increased safety and security for communities
in dangerous areas. LED lanterns can even double as chargers to power up electrical
devices. In terms of cost-effectiveness, an LED lantern pays for itself in less than a
year.
Just a few years ago in rural India, a small group of women transformed their lives and
their village with a small stock of solar lanterns. The housewives-turned-entrepreneurs
sold solar and other renewable energy products; their main income generator was
portable solar lamp rentals, which provided eight hours of light to families who rented
the lanterns. The women turned a profit, improved their village, and demonstrated the
demand for these devices in remote areas. Their success was made possible with a
small grant from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a Department of Energy
lab located in Colorado.
This is exactly the type of smart program we need to help recreate around the
developing world. Other solar devices, such as solar cookers, can reduce the
devastating environmental impact of chopping down trees to provide fuel for fires. The
resulting deforestation leads to severe flooding and ruined soil quality. Leading climate
scientists also contend that black soot from cooking stoves across the developing world
is contributing as much as 18% of the planet's warming. The dangerous toxins from the
cookers also cause respiratory illnesses which lead to 1.6 million deaths each year --
more than the number who die annually from malaria. Solar devices can be a cost-

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FOR AFGHANISTAN

effective way to slow global warming and save lives. And we're giving people
sustainable ways to improve their own lives, by owning businesses that create wealth.
Humanitarian aid and microfinance organizations have been among the first to embrace
small-scale solar devices. Solar lanterns are providing increased security for
communities. Solar-powered water-purification systems are providing clean drinking
water to refugees. Camps in Sudan, Chad, and Nepal have all begun using solar
devices and the results so far have been overwhelmingly positive.
One of the smartest foreign assistance initiatives the United States could undertake is to
jump-start these promising solar-powered efforts around the world. There is currently a
bill pending in Congress (sponsored by Congressman Israel) to help authorize five
years' worth of funding starting with an initial $10 million investment in the deployment
of these devices to the developing world, and another $90 million investment over the
next four years to bring commercially viable and affordable renewable energy options to
the world's poorest through microfinance programs targeted at empowering women.
The House of Representatives has committed to the initial $10 million investment. If
passed, this bill could create a long-standing program to provide financing for millions of
LED lanterns to be distributed through microfinance organizations, as well as the
development of next-generation solar cookers. It would also be a game-changer for
U.S. businesses working to develop solar technology, providing them with new demand
and competition to spur research and development.
Going green is no longer simply a luxury for wealthy countries. As these simple solar
tools show us, exactly the opposite is true. People in impoverished, resource-scarce,
conflict-ridden areas need renewable energy more than anyone. We now have the
technology to light up the darkness in cost-effective, sustainable ways. Funding these
innovations should be a priority for U.S. foreign assistance.
Congressman Steve Israel represents New York's 2nd Congressional District.
Isobel Coleman is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and directs
the Council's Women and Foreign Policy program.

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Afghanistan positionpaper

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