Even before a magnitude 7M earthquake demolished Haiti’s infrastructure, only 12.5 percent of the country’s population was connected to the power grid.

After the quake, diesel fuel became even more difficult to get and more expensive. The generators that ran the country’s power supply fizzled out as Haiti waited in the dark for help.

Today, almost a year after the quake, which rattled the nation on Jan. 12, 2010, solar is shining a light at the end of the tunnel.

Organizations have donated thousands and thousands of solar LED lights ranging from individual hand-held solar lanterns to residential lighting systems, streetlights and security lights, and on to major solar installations in schools and clinics.

Other non-profit organizations have shipped solar cookers to Haiti so women can cook meals without using polluting coal or wood stoves inside their homes.

Companies have also shipped several solar water purifiers to Haiti, an increasingly important tool in light of the country’s recent cholera outbreaks.

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Image courtesy of World Water & Solar Technologies.