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More than one billion people live without access to safe water and electricity. In Kenya alone, 15 million people lack access to safe water in their homes. This negatively impacts health, education, equality, and the environment. Safe water improves living conditions and enables a way out of poverty. Together we can create a brighter and more sustainable future for all.
Solvatten is a Swedish innovation that purifies water by using solar energy. It opens like a book, and after a few hours in the sun, the water is free from waterborne bacteria that would otherwise cause stomach diseases such as dysentery and cholera. Compared to other water purification methods, Solvatten simultaneously heats the water, making it perfectly suitable for hygiene needs.
The global spread of Covid-19 has had an extensive, negative impact on our planet’s livelihoods, not the least on families already living in poverty. If not sooner, the ongoing pandemic has revealed the importance of having safe and warm water available to wash our hands and surfaces to prevent cases of illness. By combining safe and hot water, Solvatten contributes to improved health, hygiene, and socio-economic conditions while increasing sustainable energy sources in vulnerable communities.
Two-thirds of Kenya’s population live without access to electricity, which makes them dependent on firewood and charcoal. Meanwhile, the deforestation rate in Kenya is high, and only 7% of the country’s forests remain today. To boil 1 liter of water over an open fire, you need 0,4 kg of firewood. This gives an average of 12 kg firewood per household to treat, heat, and boil water.
By enabling families to use the sun’s power instead of burning biomass, we can create several positive synergies for both people and the planet. Monitoring and evaluation reports from our climate project in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya, show that families decrease their use of biomass by 50% when they start to use Solvatten.
In one year’s use, Solvatten decreases the use of firewood equal to 6-8 trees, which enables a reduction of 1 ton of CO2e. Calculated on the product lifespan of 7 years, one Solvatten contributes to reducing 7 tons of CO2e. This is equal to around 50 middle-sized trees that can absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and support living communities with ecosystem services.
Solvatten supports both the companies and organizations who are dedicated to reducing and mitigating their emissions, and the families most vulnerable to the climate crisis. The Climate Project in Kenya is conducted in close cooperation with local-district government in the Kenya Department of Health and Environment, and the carbon credits generated are verified by third party. Read more about how we measure the impact of Solvatten here.
