For most residents of our country green technologies are just a dream for the future; however, they are the existing reality for residents of the Nizhnaya Serafimovka institutional facility for the elderly and people with disabilities. Alternative energy is used here every day, particularly in the evening, providing people with light and comfort.

Nizhnaya Serafimovka residential care home for the elderly and people with disabilities is only an hour's drive from Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic. The institution is located in a rural area of Kyrgyzstan among vast fields in front of majestic mountains.

There is a checkpoint with a gate at the entrance to the residential care home area. The four-story building constructed in the 1970s is ensconced behind a veil of trees in the depth of the land plot. The cobblestone path leads directly to the building through a young orchard.

According to Baktybek Dzhunushev, a director of the institution, 1500 fruit tree saplings were planted here in 2017 under the aegis of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

This land plot adjacent to the residential care home had been empty for a long time.

"It was used as a pasture. We planted apple, pear, apricot and cherry trees here. The harvest as yet is rather modest, but fruits are served to the tables of our residents. It will take time for the trees to finally get stronger to yield more fruit, so we might sell the harvest to cover the costs of the care home," he says. 

The director specifies that now the institution is a home for 313 people between the ages of 18 and 95. The bulk of financing for the care home is provided by the state. He explains: "The budget resources are quite enough to nourish the residents and provide them with basic medical services, including dental ones.

However, the maintenance is an issue here. Truly speaking, from time to time our permanent patrons help us, for example, make repairs and replace broken-down plumbing. There are enough good people in the world. We also work with international donor organizations. We try to take part in different projects to have additional income for the care home. For instance, the orchards you've seen earlier. In addition, there is a pond fish farm on our territory arranged within one of the projects," Dzhunushev points out.

We are approaching the main building. The impressive structure includes residential premises similar to the Soviet-style recreation center, a medical station, a reading hall and administrative offices. From the outside the building might look decrepit, but new insulated windows prove that there are some repairs made. 

There are spot lights around the building with new lanterns along the internal paths. Does it all really work?

"Yes, that is quite a sight at night — it's almost as bright as day. And most importantly, the lighting within the area of the care home, including the orchard, doesn't cost us a coin," Baktybek Dzhunushev says.

The care home management is especially proud of the lighting system.

"We are probably the only ones in the district who use solar energy for this purpose. Follow me, I'll show you everything," says the director striding to the eastern side of the area.

Here is an old orchard that will be refreshed in the future. There is a small clearing among dwindling trees with a solar array installed behind a chain-link fence. The dark panels have been turned so as to collect maximum energy from the Sun. Then the absorbed solar energy is converted into electricity and accumulated in batteries.

The battery room is located on the ground floor, in the infirmary within the main building. We meet one of the residents in the corridor on the way there. 

Sergey Kasyanov moves around the building in a wheelchair because his leg was amputated. Having found out that he was talking to journalists, the man told about how he had ended up living in the Nizhnaya Serafimovka care home.

"My leg was amputated after my wife had died. It was probably a nervous condition that caused a narrowing of blood vessels and later gangrene. That's how I got here. But it's alright — the place is good, we are always well-nourished and looked after. We have fun here when the actors come to us to conduct concerts. However, now due to the lockdown, we have to do without entertainments," he complains.

Here's the battery room. A rack with energy storage devices is installed in a small, clean whitewashed room. Power switchboards with relays and levers are mounted on the wall.

"Quite a convenient system. Here, see for yourself — everything is arranged so that the light automatically turns on in the evening and turns off at daybreak," explains the director of the care home with smiling eyes.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, half of his face is hidden behind a protective mask — a sign of the times.

Baktybek Dzhunushev enthusiastically tells us how solar panels and batteries first appeared in the Nizhnaya Serafimovka residential care home for the elderly and people with disabilities.

"As part of the joint UNDP/UNIDO/WHO project, in 2013 it was decided to install an off-grid solar power system for the village first-aid station that existed in our institution. This equipment was used during on-grid power blackouts, so that various medical devices could work," says Mr. Dzhunushev.

The batteries had been running for several years and finally reached their lifetime limit. Afterwards, they were idle for some time.

"We contacted the UNDP again. The village first-aid station had already ceased to exist by that moment, but the institution had its own needs which could be satisfied by a system of solar panels and batteries. As a result, this equipment was brought to life under the UNDP-OFID Energy Access SMEs Development Project in 2018. The existing solar photovoltaic system has been completely restored through upgrading the electrical wiring and battery capacity," the director of the care home says.

It should be noted that this project builds upon experiences from the UNDP Green Villages initiative implemented in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan during the last five years. The key objective of the project is to expand energy access and provide reliable, affordable and sustainable energy products and services for the rural population of the Kyrgyz Republic who are facing energy poverty.

Through this project, the alternative energy sources have ensured comfort and safety for all residents of the care home.

It is obvious that some residents are not capable to enjoy a walk since they are completely paralyzed or too weak due to their age. But there are also residents who think that a stroll around the building after dinner is a pleasant and useful way to spend time.

Thus, Alexander Prikhodko, who has recovered from brain hemorrhage, never misses a chance to take a wheelchair ride around the care home. He is convinced that movement helps him restore health, so he must always "have a walk" after meals.

"It's nice now. When you go out, it's as bright as day. My spirit soars. The air is already cool, of course, but my cat Katya and I still try not to miss a single day. You must keep yourself in shape," says the man, caressing his faithful companion.

Well, it turns out that the Nizhnaya Serafimovka care home has become a perfect beneficiary of the Energy Access SMEs Development Project. Although the poorhouse receives stable funding from the state and occasional support from donors and patrons, we have to admit that these funds cover only the basic needs of the care home residents. If the management had to pay the bills for lighting around the building, most likely, these costs would have to be reduced as much as possible. This means that the life of care home residents would become much darker.