LILONGWE — Four years ago, a U.K.-based charity, SolarAid, set out to provide solar-powered electricity to every home in Kasakula, a village around 90 kilometers, or 56 miles, from Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe. The project was aimed at demonstrating the potential for distributing and maintaining renewable energy in rural Africa. Today, SolarAid says it has installed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in all of the nearly 9,000 households in the village. Kasakula has a population of just over 20,000. Most of the village’s inhabitants grow crops like maize, beans and cassava for their own consumption. Like many other settlements of this size, it boasts of two public secondary schools, 10 primary schools and a health center. It also has various businesses including barbershops, video showrooms, an

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