The Intelligent Energy Association is implementing two new stages of the “Energy for Life” project between July and September 2023, in the communes of Leșu and Prundul Bârgăului in Bistrița Năsăud county.
“Recently, the fifth stage of the Energy for life project was completed, through which photovoltaic panels were installed in isolated households located in the Rodna Mountains. Thus, for the residents of five houses in Leșu commune, Bistrita-Năsăud county, which have never been electrified, the difference between darkness and light when outside gets dark will be made by simply pressing a switch. Among the beneficiaries of this stage of the project are two families with three, respectively twelve children, but also elderly people burdened by years and difficulties, the oldest among them being an 80-year-old man,” say AEI officials.
Launched in the summer of 2021 on the occasion of five years of activity of the Intelligent Energy Association, the “Energy for Life” project was received with great enthusiasm and benefited from financial support that made it possible to install photovoltaic panels in more than 10 hamlets in several localities: Întregalde commune, Alba County, (June 2021), Puntea Lupului village, Harghita County (October 2021), Năruja and Vintileasca communes, Vrancea County (September 2022) and Valea Rotunda village, Dealu commune, Harghita County (December 2022).
“Also this year we are carrying forward the energy needed for a better life and we are present in the Rodna Mountains where we are installing photovoltaic panels in several villages that have not been electrified until now. Although for the vast majority of us it is considered ‘normalcy’ for many people in isolated rural areas electricity has not yet appeared. It is the duty of all of us, whether we are talking about state authorities, the private sector or NGOs, to bring about a change for the better in the lives of our peers. The sustainable development that we all want can only be achieved if we put people and the environment at the center and if we manage to create an optimal environment for the development of human resources, while protecting nature. We thank all those who support us for their involvement, together we brought a ray of hope into the lives of the beneficiaries of the project and we hope to continue this initiative in the years to come,” says Dumitru Chisăliță, President of the Intelligent Energy Association.
“We consider it our moral duty, as a strategic national company, to support the sustainable development of disadvantaged communities, in particular, and of Romanian society in general. Active involvement in initiatives of this type, which aim to improve living conditions for people in isolated areas of Romania, is a central objective of Transelectrica’s social responsibility policy. We all agree that access to electricity is today a main condition for a better life, and Transelectrica is committed to contributing to building a sustainable society. We welcome the initiative of the Intelligent Energy Association and thank you for the opportunity to do good together, joining forces, civil society, public and private environment!,” adds Ștefăniță Munteanu, President of the Transelectrica Directorate.
“Sustainable development has always been an important part of ALRO’s strategy and we have applied sustainability principles in all our activities, from production to involvement in local communities. That’s why we got involved in supporting the Intelligent Energy Association’s initiative to electrify houses in isolated areas of Romania. The installation of photovoltaic panels on these isolated houses will not only bring electricity and a bit of the comfort of the modern world, but an extremely important thing is that it will not produce future electricity costs for the families included in the program,” says Marian Năstase, President of the ALRO Board of Directors.
In Romania, an European country, in the 21st century, according to an estimate by the Ministry of Energy based on data collected from the County Councils and Prefectures, in 2018 over 52,000 households did not have electricity, many of them being in isolated areas. Although necessary, the investments to connect households to the electricity network do not demonstrate the criterion of efficiency, i.e. they do not bring benefits to the distribution operator, so it will be a long time before the electricity reaches here as well. All financing for the installation of photovoltaic panels excludes households located less than 2 km from the existing energy network.