TRIPOLI - Improved electricity service has brought renewed energy to Libya's capital after years of conflict and power cuts.
Chronic electricity shortages had shaped the daily lives of Libyans since the fall of Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed 2011 uprising.
Until last year, outages could last 10 or even 20 hours, turning the city's streets dark and leaving residents sweltering in summer temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius without air conditioning.
But with new management at Gecol since last year, along with a relatively stable security situation, Libyans now receive a markedly improved electricity supply.
To avoid countless sleepless nights, Libyans did adapt to the power outages.
Buying batteries costing a few hundred dinars (tens of dollars), they could power a television set and one or two lamps, as well as provide basic internet connectivity.
Those who could afford it spent thousands of dollars on buying noisy, polluting fuel-guzzling generators.
The roar of generators hasn't completely gone away -- it returned in a July heatwave -- but not a week goes by without Gecol announcing the arrival of new equipment at the country's roughly 20 power plants.
The electricity supply has improved countrywide, although the boost to Tripoli's was the most dramatic and significant.
Electricity network stability is the foundation of the "Return to Life" campaign launched by the city government, and is slowly restoring Tripoli's soul.
Residents proudly nickname their city "Siren of the Mediterranean" for its attractive seafront.
The lights shining in Tripoli's medina and silhouetting the adjacent Red Castle, a 16th-century fortress built by the Spanish, symbolise hope for a brighter future.