文章来源：www.unops.org
作者：Nick Gardner
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Renewable energy has long been heraldedas the solution for providing hard-to-reach communities with electricity. Buthow can we ensure that it’s sustainable?
可再生能源长期以来一直被视为是向难以到达的社区提供电力的解决方案。但是我们怎样●才能确保它是可持续的呢？
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In Sierra Leone, just 13% of the countryhas access to electricity. In rural areas, that number drops to 1%.
在塞拉利昂，该国只有13%的地区有电力。在农々村地区，这个数字下降到1%。
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From buying batteries for flashlights tokerosene for lamps to fuel for shared generators, or paying someone else tocharge a mobile phone, people in rural areas are already spending up to 9% oftheir monthly income on power. Village residents are hungry for what limitedpower exists – and they’re prepared to sacrifice a considerable portion oftheir limited income to get it.
从为手电筒购买电池到为煤油灯购◥买煤油，到为共享发电机购买燃料，或者付钱给其他人为手机充电，农村地区的人们已经在电力上花费了他们每月收◥入的9%。村里的居民渴望拥有有限的存量电力——他们准备牺牲他们有≡限收入的相当一部分来获↘得它。
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Renewable energy sources like solarenergy have long been seen as the best way to address issues surroundingaccessing electricity. But Sierra Leone’s countryside is littered with examplesof solar power installations that are no longer functioning – or neverfunctioned properly in the first place.
像太阳能这样的可再生能源长期以来被视为解》决周围电力问题的最佳途径。但是塞拉利昂的农村到处都是太阳能发电装置的例子，这些装置不再运转，或者从一开始就没有正常运行过。
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Solar power is not the simple and quicksolution it is often portrayed to be. Designing the most appropriate solarsolution for each local area is incredibly complex. But with the rightapproach, solar power could be a real game changer in encouraging sustainabledevelopment through energy access – driving improvements in health services,education and economic activity.
太阳能发电并不是一种简单而快速的解决方案。为每个地区设计最合适的太阳能解决方案是非♂常复杂的。但通过正确的方法，太阳能可以成为一个真正的游戏改变者，通过能源接入来鼓励可持续发展——推动医疗服务、教育和经济活动的改善。
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So how to increase access to electricityfor the most underserved areas of the country in a sustainable way?
那么，如何以↘可持续的方式增加该国最不发达地区的电力供应呢？
It may be a context specific question,but in Sierra Leone, with the Government and the United Kingdom’s Departmentfor International Development, we are building solar-powered mini-grids,centred on community health centres and operated as commercial enterprises, tosupply entire villages with electricity.
这可能是一个与上下文相关的问题，但在塞拉利昂，政府和英国国际发展署正在建造太阳能微型电网，以社区卫生服务中心为中心，作为商业企业来运作，为整个村庄提供电力。
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LIGHTINGUP RURAL SIERRA LEONE
照亮塞拉利昂农村
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In rural areas of the country, healthcentres and a steady flow of electricity are desperately needed.
在该国农村地区，迫切需要卫生中心和稳定的电流。
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Difficulty accessing health services –and the difficulties local health centres face providing round-the-clock carewithout access to a steady source of electricity – contributes to Sierra Leonebeing a dangerous place to give birth. Expectant mothers have a 1 in 17 chanceof dying in childbirth – one of the highest maternal mortality rates in theworld.
医疗服务的困难——以及当地卫生中心面对昼夜不停的护理而无法获得稳定的电力来源的困难——这使得塞拉利昂成为一个危险的分娩场所。17个孕妇中就有1个会死于分娩，这是︾世界上最高的孕产妇死亡率之一。
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In a country where many births occur atnight, midwives in many rural communities rely on flashlights or mobile phonesto aid deliveries. If something goes wrong, they have little access to thefacilities they need to save mothers’ lives.
在一个很多出生发生在晚上的国家，许多农村社区的助产士依靠手电筒或手机来帮助分娩。如果出了问题，他们几乎没有机会去拯救母亲的生命。
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Using renewable solar energy to powerthe health centres means electricity for the tools needed to perform emergencyprocedures and full lighting for midwives to work. It means electricity for therefrigerators needed to store blood for transfusions or the vaccines needed toprevent diseases.
使用可再生的太阳能为卫生中心供电意味着为执行急救程序所需的工具和为助产士提供充分照明的电力。这意味着为储存输血用血液或预防疾病所需疫苗的冰箱提供电力。
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DRIVINGDEVELOPMENT
驱动发展
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However, installing a few solar panelson public buildings, and bringing a few light bulbs, the occasional water pumpor solar fridge doesn’t ensure long-term sustainability. That requires workingwith the private sector.
然而，在公共建筑上安装一些太阳能电池板，并带来一些灯泡，偶尔提供的水泵或太阳能冰箱不能确保长期的可持续性。这需要与私营部门合作。
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Using thehealth-centres-as-a-power-station approach, private operators takeresponsibility for the long-term operations and maintenance of the mini-gridsystems. The health centres receive free electricity in return for the land onwhich to build the power station for the whole village. And using mini-griddistribution systems to provide power to the whole village will bring down thecost, enabling consumers to save money – or use more power for other activitiesfor the same cost.
采用卫生中心作为电◇力站的方法，私人运营商负责微型电网系统的长期运行和维护。卫生中心可接收免费电力，作为提供土地为整个〖村庄建造发电站的回报。使用小型电网配电系统向全村供电，将降低成本，使消费者节∑ 省资金，或为其他活动使用更多的电力，而不增加成本。
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Once fully operational, mini-grids insmaller villages provide immediate income generating opportunities. Privatesector operators can go beyond simply providing power. From selling mobilephone top-ups or providing phone banking services, to selling internet accessor providing micro-financing for domestic appliances – the possibilities areendless.
一旦全面运作，小村庄的微型电网立即提供收入机会。私营部门运营商可以不只是简单地提供电力。从出售手机充电器或提供电话银行服务、销售互联网接口或为家用电器提供微型融资等方面，可能性是无止境的。
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And making it attractive for the privatesector to operate solar power installations encourages continued investment inthe energy sector in rural areas, creating a truly sustainable solution.
让私营部门经营太阳能发电设施这件事具有吸引力，鼓励其在农村地区继续投资能源，创造一个真正可持续的解决方案。
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Although initially aimed at smallervillages, the next phase of this project will encourage private sectoroperators to co-invest to develop similar mini-grid systems for largervillages. This will eventually create an environment where the private sectoris pushing forward the development of mini-grids without the need for donorsupport.
虽然最初是针对较小的村庄，但该项目的下一阶段将鼓励私营部门¤运营商共同投资，开发⌒ 类似的小型电网系统，用于更大的村庄。这将最终创造一个环境，私营部门正在推动微型电网■的发展，而不需要捐助者的支持。
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Sierra Leone will become a model formaximizing sustainable energy access in rural areas? – and will show how partnering with theprivate sector to address development needs can have far-ranging benefits.
塞拉利昂将成为最大限度地实现农村可持续能源接入的典型，并将展示如何与私营部门合作来满足发展需要，可以带来深远的利益。