Earthshot Prize winner lights up lives as Prince William's “cooling ministry” of climate innovators seeks solutions.

Kokotela, South Africa — Power is something most of us take for granted, but hundreds of millions of people in many parts of Africa live without reliable access to electricity. The American company is working to change that, and their innovation has entered the annual Earthshot Prize, an award given by Britain's Prince William to highlight solutions to the climate crisis.

Like most 12-year-olds, Dimakatso Ngcobo is not a fan of household chores. He wasn't shy about telling CBS News as he scrubbed an old pot, a few plastic plates and two old peanut butter jars that he and his mother used as cups.

Last year, his mother could not pay the rent on their house in Soweto, outside Johannesburg, so they were evicted. Mother and daughter traveled to the community of Kokotela, a few kilometers to the south, to buy a small dirt plot for $200. There, they built a new one-room home made of metal.

Ngcobo told CBS News that although there is no water and no toilet, he misses the electricity very much.

“It's a bit difficult. We don't have much. We don't pay that much,” he said, adding on a positive note: “At least the nearby school is good, as I want to be a doctor. One day.”

He is also thankful that his world is getting a little brighter lately, thanks to the US company id.light, which was founded by two founders who met at Stanford University's design school. Now the company has connected more than 180 million people in 70 countries to a clean source of energy from solar energy.

“We're very focused on making these products as affordable as we can, and the way we do that is through pay-as-you-go, where customers can pay 20 cents a day or 30 cents a day, which is what they would do. use kerosene or diesel to make a diesel generator,” said d.light founder Nedjip Tozun. “But instead of actually burning that money, they can invest it in an asset that will provide energy for many years.”

D.light is one of 15 finalists in the running for the 2024 Earthshot prize. Winners will be chosen Wednesday in five categories: Protect and Restore the Environment, Clean Our Air, Revitalize Our Oceans, Build a Sustainable World and Fix Our Climate. The winner in each category will be awarded 1 million UK pounds, or approximately $1.3 million, which is intended to help scale up their projects.

William, Prince of Wales and the future king of Britainhe said he was inspired by President John F. Kennedy's 1962 “Moonshot” challenge to put a man on the moon within 10 years when he created Earthshot Award four years ago with the desire to find and propose new solutions for the world's climate. Earthshot's main goal since its launch was to fix the world within 10 years.

This Earthshot award ceremony came to the African continent for the first time this year, and it will be played in Cape Town, South Africa.

The guests of the Earthshot Awards ceremony in Cape Town told CBS News before the US on Tuesday general election that they are disappointed climate change it has not emerged as a central theme in the presidential race, and they are concerned that it may further detract from the focus of US policy discussion.

Shantha Bloemen, CEO of Mobility for Africa, a startup that provides green mobility services to rural women in Africa using custom-built electric tricycles and solar-powered batteries, has been nominated award this year but he did not receive this award. the last list. He said he still hopes that this week he will find colleagues who will help him raise the level of performance of his company.

“We need urgent action and strong political leadership to unlock funding to fight this crisis,” he told CBS News. “Many of us have proven solutions to mitigate the worst impact on those on the front lines of this crisis, but without strong US political leadership, it will be difficult to unlock the necessary funding for immediate success. Time is not on our side.”

Prince William thanked a series of programs for receiving the award on Tuesday at a ceremony in Cape Town. Panel host Wanjira Mathia poked fun at the British monarchy during the interview, calling the award “a great dating service to bring together climate innovators.”

“The award is about visibility, but it's also about quality,” he said. “What we hear a lot from startups is, 'I have a solution and I don't know how to scale,' and businesses and leaders who say, 'I have money but I don't know where to put it.' So, that's where we created launchpad, which is a dating service paired with a sponsor and a solution, and on the contrary, I think this partnership is the key – if you put all of this in one melting pot, then sparks will fly.”

“It's great to see so many brilliant minds and changers in the room,” he said, addressing the audience.

Back in Kokotela, south of Johannesburg, Muriel Nobela can still power her TV, radio and lights thanks to a bright solar panel on her roof. The panel supplies electricity to an outdoor light and a storage battery in his house, and it all costs a little more than $250, which he pays in installments every month.

Her neighbor Portia Msomi was always forced to rely on electricity for cooking and candles to light the evenings. Now, just a flip of a switch.

“Aha!” Portia said with a giggle as she flicked on her new lamp to light up her house. “You see, isn't it amazing!”

Tozun told CBS News it's that kind of reaction that drives d.light's work.

“The name of our company is d.light, and those are the feelings that make us very happy to see from our customers,” he said, adding: “There are two billion people in the world who have unreliable electricity, and about 750 million who have no access to electricity at all, our goal is to change the lives of one billion people in -2030.”

Portia is very proud of her new solar system. With great effort he climbed over the big trunk to reach his hand on his metal roof to grab his solar panel and clean it carefully. He told CBS News that it took him just four months to pay off the $150 plan.

He pointed to various homes in the neighborhood that burned down in accidents involving the burning of paraffin and candles.

“We are safe now, and we have light all the time,” he said.

Light and security are also important to young Dimakatso Ngcobo, but the 12-year-old told CBS News that being connected is one of the biggest benefits of clean electricity in his home. Now you can do what you love: scrolling through TikTok and Instagram.

“And I love TV,” he added. “I really like cartoons.”

His infectious laugh helped light up the room.

“I feel happy now,” she said. “We don't have much, but I can watch TikTok and dream about my future.”