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Bob Freling

@bobfreling

Executive Director, Solar Electric Light Fund (@solarfund.bsky.social). Social entrepreneur focused on using solar energy to end global poverty. #SDG7

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13.02.2025
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Latest posts by Bob Freling @bobfreling

Solar Comes to the Maasai Mara
Solar Comes to the Maasai Mara YouTube video by Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF)

More than 2 billion people still lack #CleanCooking access. Yes, billion with a “b.”

In Kenya’s Maasai Mara, #solar cooking is changing that—improving air quality, reducing deforestation, and addressing gender inequality.

Watch: youtu.be/elYBgjuZ-8Q?...

#sdg7 #energy

18.02.2026 21:55 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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Solar Power Brings Clean Cooking to the Maasai Mara - Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) A community-led initiative uses solar energy to power clean cooking, lighting, device charging, and water access  MAASAI MARA, Kenya, February 11, 2026 — In Kenya’s Olchoro Oirouwa Conservancy, Maasai...

Big news from @solarfund.bsky.social! 📣

A new initiative brings solar power to the famed Maasai Mara, with benefits to human health, climate resilience, and conservation.

Learn more: www.self.org/blog/solar-p...

#energy #climate #resilience #renewbles #sdg7

11.02.2026 23:03 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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Solar Electric Light Fund: Fighting Time Poverty With Solar Energy - The Borgen Project The Solar Electric Light Fund addresses challenges of time poverty by “tackling the underlying energy gap.” As a solution, SELF has...

When families lack reliable power, time is lost to daily tasks like collecting water and fuel—burdens that typically fall on women and girls.

I spoke with The Borgen Project about "time poverty" and the solutions already within reach: borgenproject.org/solar-electr...

#energy #poverty #solar

02.02.2026 23:22 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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Today is the #InternationalDayOfCleanEnergy! ☀️

Since 1990, @solarfund.bsky.social has partnered with off-grid communities to improve access to #CleanEnergy.

Learn more: www.self.org

📸: Installing solar home systems in Bhutan in 2003

26.01.2026 13:46 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0

At @solarfund.bsky.social, we believe progress is not a zero-sum game. The sun provides more than enough energy to meet our collective needs—without compromising the planet.

From SELF and everyone we serve, thank you for your support in 2025. Onward to a brighter 2026!

#energy #renewables #sdg7

07.01.2026 18:57 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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I’m incredibly proud of all we've accomplished at @solarfund.bsky.social this year!

Help us keep it going. Your gift = climate solutions for communities in need.

Give now to power a brighter 2026: secure.qgiv.com/for/donateto...

#energy #climate #solar #renewables

30.12.2025 17:22 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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As we head into the holidays, I’m grateful for what we’ve built together—and for everyone working toward a more just, sustainable future.

Wishing you happy holidays and a peaceful season.

#solar #energy #climate #renewables

23.12.2025 22:24 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) Welcomes Dr. Daniel Kammen to Board of Directors  - Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Daniel Kammen to its Board of Directors. A global leader in clean energy innovation, energy access, and climate justi...

I’ve admired @dankammen.bsky.social’s work for years—across energy innovation, climate policy, and justice-centered solutions. Today, I’m excited to welcome Dan to @solarfund.bsky.social’s Board!

Read more about his appointment here: www.self.org/blog/the-sol...

#climate #energy #solar

16.12.2025 19:17 👍 4 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1

Every dollar makes a difference. Please support @solarfund.bsky.social this Giving Tuesday and help us bring clean energy to all!

Donte here: secure.qgiv.com/for/selfgivi...

#givingtuesday #solar #climate #renewables

02.12.2025 22:07 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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This month, we celebrate 35 years of solar impact. ⚡

Help @solarfund.bsky.social power what’s next. Give $100+ by Nov. 4 to get a limited-edition 35th anniversary t-shirt!

Give now: secure.qgiv.com/for/35thanni...

#solar #energy #climate #sdg7

31.10.2025 15:17 👍 4 🔁 5 💬 0 📌 0
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Honored to join KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) for World Food Day to discuss how solar energy can power a more food-secure future.

We can end hunger in our lifetime. It starts with energy.

#sdg2 #sdg7 #foodsecurity #cleanenergy

23.10.2025 01:16 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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Can #CleanEnergy end poverty? That's the question I'll explore at Solar & Storage Live this Sunday in Riyadh.

I look forward to connecting with the #solar community!

12.10.2025 10:52 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
35 Years of Impact
35 Years of Impact YouTube video by Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF)

This month, @solarfund.bsky.social turns 35! For three and a half decades, we've worked to bring #CleanEnergy to those who need it most.

Today, we renew our commitment to a sustainable, healthy, thriving world—powered by the sun. ☀️ #sdg7

Watch our story: youtu.be/y3DLoxl56bg?...

08.10.2025 18:59 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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Dr. Jane Goodall showed the world that science and compassion belong together.

Grateful to have met her—and to have partnered with the Jane Goodall Institute to bring solar power to Gombe. May her legacy guide us forward.

#JaneGoodall #conservation #solarpower #sdg7

02.10.2025 16:55 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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I had a wonderful time joining The Carbonauts at their DC event and sharing how clean energy can help us protect the planet AND power a more just, prosperous future.

Thanks to everyone who came out. Onward! 🌞

#energy #energytransition #cleanenergy #greentech

23.09.2025 14:19 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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Solar-Powered Water Systems in Rural Uganda | Solar Electric Light Fund SELF has broken ground on a new solar-powered water system in rural Uganda. Learn how solar water pumping is delivering clean water and safer nights in Bukyerimba.

Exciting news: @solarfund.bsky.social just broke ground on a new solar-powered water system in Uganda!

This project will provide #CleanWater to hundreds of people—with improvements to local health, safety, and gender equality.

Learn more: www.self.org/project-upda...

#sdg6 #sdg7 #cleanenergy

16.09.2025 19:21 👍 11 🔁 5 💬 1 📌 0

Lots going on at @solarfund.bsky.social! Subscribe to our newsletter, and don't miss it: lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/XwsLDMM/s...

05.09.2025 17:21 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Nigeria’s Chronic Electricity Problems : State of the World from NPR In Africa’s most populous country more than a third of residents have no access to electricity. Even those connected to the nation’s crumbling power grid cannot rely on it. And the situation isn’t i...

🌍 Nigeria has the world’s largest population of people living without electricity.

Despite political promises, millions remain in the dark. Families are turning to solar—but affordability remains a barrier.

🎧 Listen on @npr.org: www.npr.org/2025/08/06/n...

#energy #poverty #sdg7 #solar

26.08.2025 16:20 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
Power is Progress | The Fight for Global Energy Access | Bob Freling
Power is Progress | The Fight for Global Energy Access | Bob Freling YouTube video by Utopia Is Now

What does it mean to live without #electricity? And what does it take to change that?

I joined the @utopiaisnow.bsky.social podcast to talk about #energy poverty, #solar solutions, and the surprising ways in which energy access transforms lives.

Give it a listen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UAY...

23.07.2025 17:28 👍 5 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0
Power is Progress | The Fight for Global Energy Access | Bob Freling
Power is Progress | The Fight for Global Energy Access | Bob Freling YouTube video by Utopia Is Now

🌍 What is #EnergyPoverty, and why does it still impact so many people today?

SELF’s @bobfreling.bsky.social joined the @utopiaisnow.bsky.social podcast to unpack the global #energy gap & explore how solutions like #SolarPower are changing lives.

🎧 Listen now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UAY...

22.07.2025 17:01 👍 3 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
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What do solar panels have to do with clean water, thriving farms, and kids staying in school?

A lot, actually!

@solarfund.bsky.social's 2024 Annual Report is out now—full of real stories that turn energy into impact.

➡️ Take a look: indd.adobe.com/view/d96fb64...

#sdg7 #energysky #climate

11.07.2025 17:10 👍 3 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
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🌞 SELF’s 2024 Annual Report is live!

From the sunlit fields of Benin to the vast plains of the Maasai Mara, last year, SELF worked to expand access to #SolarPower — lifting livelihoods and fighting #ClimateChange.

👉 Discover the change we've made together: indd.adobe.com/view/d96fb64...

10.07.2025 16:06 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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The Great Power Shift: Decentralization, Reparations, and the Fight for Energy Justice True resilience isn’t about making the grid bigger. It’s about making systems smarter, accessible, and locally adaptable.

The clean #EnergyTransition can’t just swap fuels—it has to shift power.

My recent article in @resilience.org makes the case for decentralization, climate reparations, and energy justice. 🌍⚡ #sdg7

Read it here: www.resilience.org/stories/2025...

24.06.2025 22:15 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Solar Energy for Low-Income Families: Beating the Heat on the Border - Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) See how solar energy is changing lives for low-income families in Texas—cutting electricity bills, boosting resilience, and fighting climate change.

What does climate justice look like? In South Texas, it looks like a mom paying $42 for power instead of $400.

Solar energy is fostering greater resilience, equity, and opportunity on the border. Learn more & hear from those impacted: www.self.org/project-upda...

#climate #solar #energy #sdg7

12.06.2025 21:13 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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I'm excited to join #GreenTechFestival in Berlin this week for a powerhouse panel on “Food for Thought: Will Tech Solve Our Growing Food Crisis?”

I look forward to exploring meaningful innovations and solutions for a food-secure future! 🥬

#GreenTechFestival2025 #GTF2025 #GreenTech

20.05.2025 16:04 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 2
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Everyone should have access to #CleanWater.

@solarfund.bsky.social is working is build a new solar-powered water station in rural Uganda. This project will change thousands of lives, but we need your support to make it happen.

💧 Give now: secure.qgiv.com/for/ugandawa...

#CleanEnergy #SDG6 #SDG7

16.05.2025 19:17 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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It was an honor to speak at the SLINT Tech Expo on a panel about energy access in Africa—exploring trends, challenges, and the solutions driving impact.

Grateful to share @solarfund.bsky.social ’s work and join others advancing clean energy for all. ☀️

#energysky #energytransition #africa

12.05.2025 20:47 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Powering Legal Aid in Rural Uganda
Powering Legal Aid in Rural Uganda YouTube video by Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF)

🌍⚡ @solarfund.bsky.social's new short film takes you behind-the-scenes of the "Law Box," a solar-powered legal aid center that is changing lives in Uganda.

Meet the people impacted by this initiative: youtu.be/kBpd7Vb_zqg?...

#sdg7 #sdg16 #energy #justice

30.04.2025 20:40 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

This Earth Day, I’m inspired by the communities turning sunlight into resilience, health, and hope. #OurPowerOurPlanet isn’t just a theme—it’s the future we’re building together. #EarthDay2025

22.04.2025 17:47 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Community Solar Microgrids: A Sustainable Solution for Energy Access  - Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) Discover how community solar microgrids expand energy access, boost resilience, and power sustainable development in underserved communities.

Energy is a human right—and #solar microgrids are one of the most powerful ways we can deliver it.

But how do these #microgrids actually work? And where is the technology headed next?

Get your questions answered in @solarfund.bsky.social's latest blog: www.self.org/articles/com...

18.04.2025 16:39 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0