Energia Inteligenta Association switches on the lights in isolated hamlets in the Rodna Mountains

The story goes on, and the Intelligent Energy Association (Asociația Energia Inteligentă) implements two new stages of the “Energy for Life” project between July and September 2023.

This time they are present in the communes of Leșu and Prundul Bârgăului in Bistrita 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 inserted outside 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, as well as people in their old age burdened by years and difficulties, the oldest among them being an 80-years old.

Launched in the summer of 2021 on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Smart 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 over 10 villages from May many 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) .

“And 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 project’s beneficiaries and we hope to continue this initiative in the years to come” said 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!” said 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”, said Marian Năstase, the President ALRO Board of Directors.

“We at Vimetco Extrusion are focused on finding sustainable, long-term solutions for all aspects of our business and are committed to cascading this strategy into the community. That’s why we decided to support the program implemented by the Smart Energy Association and contribute to the implementation of a sustainable source of electricity in isolated houses in Romania”, said Igor Higer, CEO of Vimetco Extrusion.

In Romania, a 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. Thus, approximately 9000 households in Romania have no hope of seeing electricity. Through the “Energy for Life” project, the Smart Energy Association set out to both attract the necessary financing for the installation of photovoltaic panels in isolated houses, which have never had electricity, and raise an alarm signal about the large number of non-electrified households that can be found in Romania at the present time. The involvement of the association’s partners during this initiative in all stages of the project brought a change for the better, and Energy was able to appear in the Life of all the beneficiaries. Transelectrica, CIS Gaz, ALRO SA, Vimetco Extrusion, Electroscape and Ostenweg Sysplan joined the fifth stage of the “Energy for Life” project as partners.