How it can help around the world!
Here are a few videos that show what solar did for these countries
How south africa created solar power with just scraps from the village!
How the people of Ghana got tought how to make their own solar mobile phone chargers!
How solar lamps changed the way kids could learn and go to school
The Importance of Solar Power in Vanuatu
(PRESENTATION: LINDA H.,
PHOTOS BY: HILDA J. )
\(BILO PRESENTATION ABOUT VANUATU FROM AN ISALND GIRL'S SINGLE POINT OF VIEW.)
IN THE 1970'S VANUATU WERE USING NO SOLAR POWER BASED THINGS AND WERE ONLY USING HURRICANE LIGHTS. BUT TO MAINTAIN ONE OF THESE LIGHTS WERE VERY DIFFICULT. THEY USED UP A LAARGE AMOUNT OF KEROSENE PETROL AN MONEY.
THE ADVANTAGES OF THE HURRICANE LIGHT WAS THAT IT LIGHTENS UP THE HOUSE AT NIGHT AND IT ALLOWS THE HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS TO CARRY ON SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT THEY DID NOT FINISH DURING THE DAY TIME. HOWEVER HURRICANE LIGHTS DO HAVE DISADVANTAGES.
FIRST OF ALL HURRICANE LIGHTS NEEDS KEROSENE TO LIGHT.
KEROSENE IS SOMETHING THAT COSTS MONEY. THEY CAN PURCHASE IT AT SMALL SHOPS. BUT IT MAY COST ABOUT 20$ TO OBTAIN ONE LITRE. HURRICANE LIGHT CAN CONSUME LOTS OF KEROSENE. SO THE POOREST IN THE FAMILY MAY NOT EVEN HAVE A SOURCE OF LIGHT AT NIGHT, IF THEY DO NOT BUY KEROSENE THEY LIVE IN THE DARK UNTIL THEY FIND SOME MONEY TO BUY SOME.SOMETIMES IF KEROSENE DOES NOT ARRIVE FROM PORT VILA (THE CAPITAL OF VANUATU) PEOPLE COULD GO OUT OF LIGHT. THE WHOLE VILLAGE COULD HAVE NO LIGHT FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
DOES HURRICANE LIGHT NEED MONEY TO PRODUCE LIGHT?YES
A POINT THAT NEEDS TO BE HIGHLIGHTED NEXT, IS THAT HURRICANE LIGHT NEEDS ACTUAL FIRE FROM MATCHES TO BE LIT UP. THE SOURCE OF ENERGY IS KEROSENE. THE ONLY PROTECTION IN THE HURRICANE LIGHT IS JUST A SMALL PIECE OF GLASS THAT ONY PROTECTS THE FIRE FROM BLOWING OUT. BECAUSE THIS KEROSENE MAKES LOTS OF FUMES THE GLASS MAY BREAK AND MUST BE REPLACED. AND OR IF THE GLASS GETS DIRTY THEY MUST WASH.
HURRICANE LIGHT NEEDS LOTS OF MANUAL AND DAILY MAINTENANCE.
HOUSES IN ISLAND VILLAGES FOR EXAMPLE MALEKULA WHERE I COME FROM, USE NATANGORA ROOFS, BAMBOO WALLS AND STRAW MAT FLOORS. USING HURRICANE LIGHT IN HOUSES SUCH AS THESE CAN BE A VERY HIGH RISK FOR THE LIGHTS TO BURN THE HOUSE. THERE HAD BEEN OVER THE YEARS, CASES WHERE HURRICANE LIGHTS WERE THE SOURCE OF FIRE FOR BURNING HOUSES.BECAUSE FIRE CAN HEAT UP THE GLASS AROUND THE LIGHT EXTREMELY, SMALL CHILDREN IN THE HOUSE COULD TOUCH THE LIGHT AND GET SEVERELY BURNT. THIS SOURCE OF ENERGY CAN PRODUCE LOTS OF HEAT. IF YOU MISPLACE THE HURRICANE LIGHT AND IT DROPS ONTO ONE OF THE MAT FLOORS IT WOULD BE ABLE TO BURN THE HOUSE. HOUSING MATERIALS IN THE VILLAGES ARE FIRE SENSITIVE: THEREFORE HAVING A SOURCE OF LIGHT THAT COULD USE FIRE AND PRODUCES HEAT MAY BE AN INCONVENIENCE TO SMALL CHILDREN AND TO A HOUSETHACHT. 1
(1.) HOUSETHACHT: IS A HOUSE MADE OF NATANGORA ROOF, BAMBOO WALLS AND MAT FLOORS.
PEOPLE WOULD HAVE TO WALK MILES TO THE SMALL SHOPS, TO BUY THE KEROSENE. SOMETIMES THE BOATES CONTAING THE KEROSENE MAY COME DELAYED, WHICH WOULD MEAN NON OF THE SMALL SHOPS IN THE VILLAGES OR IN PORT VILA . MAKING THAT SOME ISLAND VILLAGES MAY GO WITHOUT LIGHT FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
SINCE 2010 SOLAR POWER EQUIPMENTS REVOLUTIONISED THE VILLAGES IN VANUATU. THOSE SOLAR EQUIPMENTS AS WE CALL THEM IN VANUATU HAVE IMPROVED ALOT THE HOUSEHOLD LIGHTING AND ENERGY IN VANUATU. THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOLAR POWER EQUIPMENTS. ONE OF THESE EQUIPMENTS CAN COST LESS THAN AUD $3O EQUIVALENT TO VUV 3,000. AND THE SOLAR EQUIPMENTS HAVE ALOT OF ADVANTAGES.
A SOLAR POWER EQUIPMENT REQUIRES ONLY A DAY OF SUNLIGH TO PRODUCE LIGHT FOR A DURATION TO LIGHT FOR UP TO 5 HOURS (AT MOST) DURING THE NIGHT. YOU DO NOT NEED ANY MONEY AT ALL TO PRODUCE THIS LIGHT. THE ONLY MONEY USED DURING THIS IS TO BUY THE SOLAR EQUIPMENT. AND THE SOURCE (WHICH IS THE SUN)OF ENERGY IS FREE AND WILL BE ALWAYS AVAILABLE!(EXEPT FOR NIGHT)
EVEN IF ONE DOES OT HAVE MONEY THEY ATLEAST CAN STILL HAVE LIGHT AT NIGHT. ONE DOES NOT NEED TO GO AND BUY THE SOURCE OF ENERGY, FOR THE SOLAR LIGHT IS AVAILABLE AT ONES FOOTSTEP. YOU CAN OBTAIN LIGHT AND ENERGY FROM YOUR WINDOW JUST BY PLACING THE SOLAR EQUIPMENT THERE DURING THE DAY. AND EACH DAY YOU WAKE UP IT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR US.
SO IN CONCLUSION SOLAR POWER HAS REVOLUTIONISED THE WAY ENERGY CAN BE MADE IN VANUATU TODAY! ALTHOUGH SOME PEOPLE STILL USE HURRICANE LIGHTS MOST OF THE POPULATION ONLY USES SOLAR POWER! WHICH IS SAVING THEM TO HAVE TO WALK MILES AND SPEND OVER 20$ A DAY TO GO AND BUY KEROSENE FOR LIGHT.WHICH IS WHY I THINK OLAR POWER IS REALLY AWESOME!
