The USAID-funded Community Support Program Enhances Access to Electricity to 3,800 Residents in Kfaryashite and Bisbeel through Solar Energy

Kfaryashite and Bisbeel are two villages in North Lebanon that share a municipality and are home to a total population of 3,800 Lebanese residents. Prior to the nationwide economic crisis in 2019, the Rene Mouawad Foundation (RMF), with funding from USAID, provided Kfaryashite with a solar farm linked to a municipal generator as a back-up power system. Following the economic crisis, the municipality could no longer afford the generator’s operational costs. Consequently, residents only benefited from 30% of the power generated by the solar farm, leading to tensions over household electricity provision. In response, the USAID-funded Community Support Program (CSP) installed a 70 KWH battery bank, allowing the solar farm to operate without the generator. In addition, CSP provided an extended 48 KWp solar farm, including an expanded electrical system to charge the battery bank, enabling the latter to meet the power load during daytime. To sustain this intervention, CSP has trained municipal workers on properly cleaning the panels and maintaining the system to ensure its durability and efficient operation. On August 28, 2024, CSP completed this intervention, enabling reliable and sustainable access to electricity for 3,800 residents, while reducing municipal fuel costs. “Having the solar farm finally running again with USAID’s support has reduced residents’ need for private back-up generators. It has significantly decreased their electricity costs amid the ongoing economic crisis. It is a reliable clean energy solution that will also positively impact the environment. said George Wakeem, Mayor of Kfaryashite/Bisbeel Municipality.

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