At a conference at the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C., solar energy pioneer Dr. Richard Komp described his program for making affordable energy available to impoverished villages in Africa, Latin America, India and the Carribean.

Washington, D.C.—Solar energy pioneer Dr. Richard Komp of Skyheat Associates, Harrington, Maine, called for a reform in international energy practices at a conference May 15, 2013, at the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office.

The conference was co-organized by Washington, D.C.-based Partnership League for Africa’s Development (PLAD) and The Way to Happiness Foundation.

Komp spoke of projects he has carried out in Latin America, Africa and Asia that brought light and electricity to millions at virtually no cost.

Some 1.2 billion people, more than 20 percent of the world’s population, subsist without access to electricity, nearly all of them in developing countries. But although the World Bank estimates it will require annual investments of $35-$40 billion to provide universal access to electricity within the next 20 years, for decades Komp has been providing energy to impoverished communities.

Working in the field for more than 50 years, Komp has taught villagers in South Africa, Mali, Rwanda, Niger, Ghana, Colombia, Haiti, Chile, Pakistan, Mexico and India every step of the process to bring light and power to their homes, schools, churches and hospitals at incredibly low cost.

“I will help anyone for free who makes less than two dollars a day,” says Komp.

Komp, whose own home in Harrington, Maine, has provided him free electricity from solar energy technology for more than 22 years, teaches innovative ways to build solar cells using readily available raw materials such as blackberry juice, wood and silicon. He also teaches local residents how to construct and repair solar panels, making these communities entirely self-reliant.

PLAD is a grass-roots organization which addresses human rights issues in Africa through improving social development by good governance, rule of law and democracy. The cornerstones of their strategy are education, health and agriculture and the environment.

The Way to Happiness Foundation is an international nonprofit organization based in Glendale, California. It seeks to build a more promising future through broad distribution of The Way to Happiness, a common sense guide to better living written by author, humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. Environmental responsibility—“Safeguard and Improve your Environment”—is one of the fundamental precepts of The Way to Happiness.

Immensely popular since its first publication in 1981, more than 100 million copies of The Way to Happiness have been distributed in 109 languages in 205 countries and territories.

The Church of Scientology and its members are proud to share the tools for happier living contained in The Way to Happiness with all who work to build a better world. For more information, visit www.Scientology.org/The-Way-to-Happiness

Scientology: How We Help—The Way to Happiness, Creating a World of Honesty, Trust & Self-Respect is one of a series of brochures published by the Church of Scientology International to meet requests for more information about the Scientology religion and its support of global humanitarian initiatives and social betterment programs.