Stories of Hope

Dear Tom, Guardian readers have asked us to report more often on stories of hope -- and so we have turned to Africa. From Morocco to South Africa, we've covered some of the communities and governments who have turned to solar power – not just as a way to fight climate change, but to bring some people electricity for the first time. As Erick Kabendera found in Tanzania, solar is not just helping health centres and on the way to lighting up 1m homes, but it's keeping snakes away too.  In Burundi, despite civil unrest and violence, one of the continent's most ambitious solar projects is moving ahead on 17 hectares of land in Mubuga village. David Smith heard how it'll change lives, as well as creating hundreds of jobs. On an even bigger scale is Morocco, where Arthur Neslen visited the edge of the Sahara desert to find out more about plans for a mega solar plant. Once complete, it will be the largest concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in the world. We're not the only ones to find these projects hopeful. So do leading figures such as former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, who calls lack of access to electricity as "intolerable, avoidable and profoundly unfair" for Africans. He believes solar holds the answer.  Please continue to share your reporting requests with us. Just reply to this e-mail with ideas.  Best, Adam Vaughan, online environment editor You are receiving this email because you opted to receive Keep it in the ground emails from Guardian News & Media Limited. Click here if you do not wish to receive Keep it in the ground emails from the Guardian News and Media. Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC.  Registered Office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Registered in England No. 908396