About

To the end of the Earth and back... on a bicycle

2012-02-02T15:01:41Z

Our fundraisers will take on jaw-dropping feats to raise money for SolarAid, and many go to extraordinary lengths. To illustrate this I'd like to tell you about Sean Conway. Sean is about to attempt to break a world record for SolarAid.

Born on the banks of the Zambezi River, Sean says:

"Most of my childhood was spent climbing trees and chasing elephants out of my garden. This unique childhood has been the fuel for my adventurous ambition and the African memories will remain with me forever".

So, Sean is going to cycle around the world, and he wants to do this faster than anyone else, ever. That's 180,00 miles in less than 150 days! He has also set himself the BHAG (that's a 'Big Hairy Audacious Goal') of raising £100,000 to help us banish kerosene lamps from Africa by 2020.

But you don't have to break a world record to support SolarAid. Over the years we have had someone walk the length of Great Britain and a dozen people dressed as Father Christmas whilst running five kilometers. These events can sometimes raise impressive amounts of money. Last year Rick de Gaay Fortmaan, from the Netherlands, raised €113,248.21, cycling 7,000km through our Africa programmes.

Sean has done some extraordinary things to prepare for his attempt. At one point he ate 10 raw eggs!

And to maximise his time on the road, Sean has also completed several 12 hour night rides. Watch his self-made video as he cycles around Richmond Park, London, UK for 12 hours straight here. Crazy but brilliant!

How you can help Sean

So how can you help? Well Sean could do with all the motivation he can get. So please follow him on Twitter and Facebook to wish him well. It will really help motivate him further. And tell your friends and family about people like Sean. Every £ he raises helps us continue to sell quality solar lights at prices people can afford.

Sean sets off on 18th February 2012 (so not long now). He has raised £4,830 already. See for yourself or 'sponsor' Sean via http://www.justgiving.com/bike12.

Finally, take a look at the video Sean made (below). As you will see, he is inspired to help the communities we work with gain access to solar lighting.

So, from all of us at SolarAid - we say "GO SEAN! The very best of luck"

We look forward to waving you off on 18 February.

Richard (aka Captain Sunshine)
@ifundraiser

Night walk sees a sunny outcome for SolarAid supporters

2012-01-30T15:38:09Z

Solar energy supplier and SolarAid supporter JHS Solar Solutions have worked hard to raise money for SolarAid. In fact, after a year of imaginative fundraising, the JHS team recently hit the impressive total of £924. Throughout 2011 the team organised pub nights before concluding the year with a somewhat chilly night hike in December (see picture below - complete with canine mascot).

SolarAid would like to say a big thank you to everyone at JHS Solar Solutions. Great work!

Students seek solar solutions

2012-01-27T12:34:06Z

Since September last year the SolarAid London team has been working on a fantastic partnership project with Latymer Upper School and their A-level Design students. Head of Design at the school, Ed Charlwood, has been working hard to bring to life an exciting final-year project for his Y13 students.

By giving them the "problem" of access to light in Africa, they have been challenged to investigate the dangers of current light sources (kerosene, candles), research the solar lights that are becoming available to consumers in Africa, before designing and building their own solar light solutions.

Below is a short diary from Ed on the students' progress in the Autumn term:

19th September 2011:
SolarAid's Head of Programmes, John Keane, visited Latymer Upper School to launch the 2011-12 A2 coursework. John spoke about the history of SolarAid and their mission to banish the kerosene lamp from Africa by 2020. Students were also able to see the development of micro solar products over the last decade.

Especially interesting were the products designed and rapid-prototyped by SolarAid's then Product Designer, Marianne Kernohan, and John was able to discuss how economic factors were impossible to separate from the design of a product.

25th September 2011:
The students have been looking at a huge amount of information (statistics, interview transcripts, photographs, technical drawings) and have all found a particular issue that they would like to address. Charlie is looking at indoor family lighting, James has decided to design a desk lamp to allow studying after sunset, Will is going to try to combine lighting and cooling, Zoe is keen to design something to help children see at night and Evie is going to work on a solution for schools.

October 15th 2011:
All of the Latymer students have begun to design and some have sent their first concepts to SolarAid for some feedback. This is one of Will's first designs for a fan/light combination:

Will got some incredibly helpful thoughts, e.g.
"I like the idea of the mirror to capture more of the light, however I would like him to look into the cost of adding this feature, and the durability around adding extra moving parts. Let's not forget that products in Africa have to be tough (any moving parts are easily broken or lost or used for something else), esp if they are out in the sun. Has he also looked at how UV resistant ABS plastic is? I know it is commonly used for things like vaccuum cleaners as it is tough, but maybe something like PolyPropylene (PP) might be more suitable to an outdoor environment." - Marianne

Lots to think about...

November 23th 2011:
All the students have been busy designing and developing their initial concepts into a design that they will be able to make, like this CAD work from Charlie (left).

There has been a lot of modelling and testing of components. Each student has been given a solar battery unit to take apart and use in their project if they want to. Latymer is lucky enough to have just got a MakerBot 3D printer (right) which will allow them to make all sorts of complicated parts.

December 16th 2011:
After some long evenings and lots of hard work all the Latymer designers have submitted their first proposal and earned themselves a nice Christmassy break. We'll begin making next term and should have some working prototypes by mid-February.

Watch this space for further updates!

To find out how to get your school involved in similar projects, contact Kathy on education@solar-aid.org

The Maasai and the Microsolar Light

2012-01-23T16:59:56Z

The Maasai Mara is a Kenyan game reserve famous for some big residents! Elephants, rhinos, zebras, buffalo and lions all live in the Mara.

Isokon Primary and Secondary School in the heart of the Maasai Mara, Kenya

However, the Maasai Mara is also home to the Maasai people. Carol and I were in the Mara having previously spoken with The Anne K. Taylor Fund, a private organisation which works to protect wildlife and tackle the issue of human-wildlife conflict in the reserve. With their help we were able to visit seven schools and two women groups with our solar lights.

One of the schools we visited was Isokon School. The school recently started a semi-boarding program to keep older pupils, who travel long distances, in school. Shockingly, the effects of kerosene lanterns, traditionally used for students to study by, could be seen on the ceiling of the class rooms.

One of the classrooms had particularly bad kerosene stains on the ceiling from where students had studied after sun down.

In order to reach the greatest number possible, we met with teachers and women's groups, who were ideally placed to distribute solar lights to families throughout the community. Below, you can see the excitement as we demonstrated the microsolar lights to the groups.

A community group, with Carol and Hudson, learning how to use solar lights.

I believe that our programs will have a real impact on this community. The Maasai travel long distances, risking their lives over land occupied by wild animals, in search for kerosene and mobile phone charging. They also burn a lot of wood to both cook and light their homes in the evening. Solar power, and the mobile phone charging function it provides, will allow them to light their homes and charge their phones without walking these huge distances, inhaling toxic fumes or spending their income on brutally expensive kerosene and candles.

Carol and hudson demonstrate solar lights to the community.

We learnt so much about the wonderful Maasai community and the wildlife that shares their land. For our safety, we were given armed escort during our visits, which we were happy about as we even had the chance to see lions at close range!

A Lion relaxing after a good meal!

Hudson

With your support we can continue to reach rural people in sub-Saharan Africa with clean and affordable solar power. Click here to make a donation.

Lighting up the kitchen - A chat with our CEO

2012-01-20T18:00:05Z

This year is the UN's International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. Steve, our CEO, dragged us into the kitchen so we could show you what we are doing to make 2012 the most sustainable year yet.

Check out SunnyMoneyTV for more of our videos or our movie gallery here.

We hope to have much more video content in 2012, so watch this space!

SolarAid

Hill-top school no longer isolated thanks to solar

2011-12-22T12:49:47Z

We recently carried out site surveys in Makueni, a two and a half hour drive east of Nairobi. Being a semi-arid area, there are many challenges that the people there face, such as unpredictable rainfall leading to crop failure. Consequently, there is an acute shortage of food, sometimes to the extent that school feeding programmes are put into effect by the government. The area is also surrounded by poor roads and is cut off from the electricity grid.

Makueni is home to Kikongooni Primary School, a school that is based on top of a hill and only accessible by foot. The Head Teacher, Mr Peter Matolo, was so relieved to hear that they were to receive solar that he said he would be 'holding his breath' as we climbed the hill... but that it wouldn't be a problem because the whole community would help carry the equipment to the top of the hill.

Mr Matalo also said that, before solar his school was set to be disqualified because of the difficulties in access. Now the school will attract more pupils and teachers from within the community, which in turn will keep it running. Our hope is that it will not be raining during the installation because we have to cross a wide sandy river with no bridge before climbing the hill to the school...

Hudson

Solar brings IT and learning power to remote island

2011-12-08T18:55:46Z

Last week, The Chole Mjini Trust Fund installed an IT system in the community centre at Chole Island, thanks to a solar power system that SolarAid installed there last summer.

This has simply revolutionised the capabilities of this community centre. It will help community members of Chole Island, many of whom have not had access to computers before now, to gain basic IT and technology skills.

The systems chosen comprise of four workstations assembled to a local design, each using only 15-18W each. This is very efficient compared to the average 150W used by a UK workstation!

The technology will predominantly focus on English language tuition, using specialised software for this. General computing will also be taught using word processors and spreadsheets.

On the first day of being operational, an astounding 36 young people turned up to receive training - many of whom were girls, eager to learn about IT and what it could enable them to do.

This was a great day for Chole - the solar island!

The sky's the limit: to Germany and back by train

2011-10-21T16:18:20Z

I've just returned from Frankfurt, via Eurostar and the super-fast Deutsch Bahn. Aside from the obvious carbon savings made by opting for train versus plane, travelling overland through Belgium and Germany has other benefits too...

During a comfortable and productive few hours aboard the ICE Intercity-Express, I couldn't help but notice the astounding quantity of wind turbines across the landscape, and photovoltaic solar on the roofs of homes and office blocks.

Belgians, especially, appear to be running their very own power stations from their roofs. Entire surface areas of roofs, even on the smallest of homes, were covered in PV, demonstrating to me that this isn't just a nod to the benefits of renewable energy, but a committed life choice. So what do the Belgians have that we don't - more sunshine? Hmm, debatable.

The other advantage of travelling the 'green way' (as Eurostar brands it in their Tread Lightly campaign) is that you allow yourself the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals. Having not shared so much as a syllable with me up until this point, the chap next to me (who, through his own admission, was peering over my shoulder to read what I'm writing here) interjected just as I finished typing the paragraph above this one. As managing editor of an environmental magazine, his answer to my hitherto internal question was that Belgium and Germany have had their answer to the feed-in tariff for 10 years longer than we have had here in the UK. Neither of us, however, were able to conclude with confidence as to why these nations had been much earlier adopters of such schemes.

Whatever the political agenda, Belgian and German homeowners have clearly embraced the incentive packages offered to them, and this massively subsided demand has lead to a drop in the price of solar. In fact, demand for solar panels doubled last year, largely driven by soaring growth in Germany.

Now we need to see a similar tipping point across small scale solar technologies in the developing world. With the combination of subsidy and innovation, a significant drop in costs will be no small drop in the ocean - offering players like SunnyMoney a major opportunity and a milestone on the road to meeting soaring demand for solar in Africa and beyond.

So what about the carbon savings on this trip? As an organisation whose mission is to banish kerosene from the developing world, it felt more than appropriate to take measures to cut our own kerosene usage. And I'm pleased to report that during my journey through three countries by train, my emissions were a mere 22kg of CO2, compared to 100kg had I chosen to fly. With high-speed train travel, the sky really is the limit.

Find out what I was up to in Germany in my next blog.

SunnyMoney shines on Malawi's Likoma Island

2011-10-18T11:19:48Z

I recently caught up with Mr Chisale, a citizen of the beautiful district of Likoma Island. Mr Chisale had just bought a SunnyMoney solar light, or as he refers to it, the 'lion of brightness'. Having worked with the District Commissioners Office, he did not need much explanation about the benefits of solar and snapped up the system straight away. Below, Mr Chisale discusses the benefit in switching to solar, resorting to diesel for light and how he wishes to give a special thank you to The Body Shop Foundation:

Mr Chisale promoting SunnyMoney to his community

Brave: Why have you chosen to buy this product?
Mr Chisale: I need reliable light.

Brave: Before purchasing a solar light, what were you using as a source of light?
Mr Chisale: Candles, kerosene and sometimes diesel since kerosene is so scarce here, being an Island.

Residents of Likoma Island and SolarAid staff discuss the benefits of solar.

Brave: How much have you been paying for them each?
Mr Chisale: Hoch (high), my friend, quite a lot. A candle costs MWK 50 each and every day. Kerosene, I do not know since it has been a long time since we had it here. Diesel is MWK 400 per litre, which would keep us going for a week and a half as a family.

Brave: But, diesel is very dangerous to your health, why were you taking such a life or death risk?
Mr Chisale: We had no choice my son. As you have seen for yourself we have had no other choices in Likoma. We really have to thank you for this wonderful thing that you have done, bringing these products here, that we people of Likoma never thought of.

Brave: We have them here because of the support from The Body Shop Foundation, what is your word to them?
Mr Chisale: I really thank and plead with them to continue with this wonderful work. It might sound simple to them but to us it is a great thing. My life is different today because of them and if there is a chance, let my words touch their ears on behalf of the entire Likoma population.

More news and updates soon.

Brave

To bring a clean and affordable source of light to even more rural communities, please make a donation.

SolarAid partners with Eight19 in 'pay-as-you-go' solar trial

2011-09-28T14:28:59Z

SolarAid is thrilled to be working with Eight19, a technology innovator specialising in solar electricity for off-grid applications, on an exciting trial in Kenya.

With SolarAid's support, Cambridge-based Eight19, are trialling an affordable, smart power solution called IndiGo.

Indigo is a pay-as-you-go, personal solar electricity system designed for the developing world - and very much in line with SolarAid's vision of putting affordable, small-scale solar products in the hands of the poorest communities in Africa.

Eight19 have combined solar and mobile phone technology to create the IndiGo system - it's inexpensive to buy and allows users to light their homes and charge their mobile phones as a service, paid for using scratchcards.

Thanks to the work of SolarAid and other players in the sector over the last few years, solar lights and phone chargers have been available for some time across Africa, but the initial cost is beyond the reach of many potential customers. By offering solar power as a service, without high purchase costs, these customers can now access clean electricity for less than their current spend on kerosene. But more than this, the availability of affordable electricity stimulates social and economic development too.

The IndiGo system consists of a low-cost solar panel, a battery unit with in-built mobile phone charger and a high efficiency light emitting diode (LED) lamp. Users put credit on their IndiGo device using a scratchcard, which is validated over SMS using a standard mobile phone. With customer trials now underway in Kenya, and soon be expanded into over countries over the next three months, SolarAid and Eight19 are full of optimism about what this means for the 1.6 billion people in the world currently living without access to grid-connected power.

SolarAid's CEO, Steve Andrews says:

'We are excited to be working with Eight19 on this revolutionary technology. Solar energy offers huge economic, health and social benefits to the world's poorest people; for lighting and mobile phone charging. Eight19's technology opens up these benefits to many more people. This is a major breakthrough.'

A summer of sun with SolarAid

2011-09-19T14:22:58Z

Summer 2011 saw SolarAid volunteers grace two festivals, packing them full of sunshine, fun, frolics, and lots of photos.

'Sunshine is free' Festival goers enjoy free ice cream on our cloudset.

Our festival duplex began in July at Ben & Jerry's Sundae on the Common in Clapham, London. After weeks of grotty cloud, we arrived to blue skies and sweltering heat - the perfect back drop for our message - 'sunshine is free'. And it was, for it shined all weekend as we plied festival goers with stickers and badges, whilst taking their pics on our unique cloud set. And even better, between bands, our photos and films filled the big screen for festival-goers to watch whilst enjoying unlimited free ice cream provided by Ben & Jerry's.

Crowds relax in the the sun as SolarAid graces the big screens wither side of the stage.

SolarAiders take photos later to be posted on our facebook page.

Two weeks later and we were at it again, but this time snugly deposited in the Malvern Hills, Herefordshire, at the Big Chill festival. On this occasion, however, we took a different approach. A small team of our most inspiring volunteers roamed the site dressed in sun-themed costumes, chatting to a host of friendly festival goers and musicians about solar and how it can change lives. We took photos, covered people in sunshine and even presented them with the odd cloud! You can check out all the pics here. We had a great time and were delighted to see the response we've had from Facebookers and Tweeters alike.

SolarAid props - our own portable sunshine!

Mr Scruff enjoys sunshine with his tea.

The Sun King posing with a new found SolarAider.

Thank you to all who played their part in a great summer - you have brought our message to thousands. With your help we are changing lives by bringing light to schools, homes, health clinics and community centres throughout Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya. Well done!

SolarAid.

You can find SolarAid and all our pics on Facebook.

Zambia in bloom: solar growth in rural Africa

2011-09-16T15:31:56Z

It's been a while since I last blogged, partly because it has been an extremely busy and exciting time for the Zambia programme. Let me update you with the news.

Since completing our comprehensive selection and training process in June, we have installed 12 facilities, 4 schools, an IT learning centre and 7 rural health clinics with sustainable solar power. Our solar fridges have also arrived, so very soon health clinics will be able to keep essential vaccines, which save lives. Our wonderful technical team, Robin Z Mwanza and William Kaitante, have done a great job of streamlining our systems and making sure we're fully stocked for our latest installations.

Students at a recent installation in Western Province - the students were almost as excited about the spare piping they could use as toys, as they were about their new solar system.

Very excitingly, we are also waiting on the delivery of over 100 solar panels, kindly donated by Solarcentury. As soon as these arrive, we will be embarking on an ambitious installation schedule in Eastern Province. We currently have 50 schools all patiently waiting for our team to arrive and to install the panels! All the schools have been fully trained in how to look after the systems, how to generate income and how to effectively manage usage in order to optimise solar power.

Upcoming installations drawn on the chalk board.

And so to SunnyMoney, our microsolar arm which is generating a solar market in Zambia. Well, it's also experienced a period of massive growth, with over 2,000 products sold by SolarAid and our partners over the past few months. And we are developing more and more contacts, including a recently launched partnership with Tikondane Community Centre. Run by the people of Katete, Eastern Province, it has a thriving community school and adult education programme, with several income generating activities; including a skill training initiative, garden and now solar lights! By selling SunnyMoney products, villagers of Katete are empoweing themselves. To find out more how microsolar lights are changing lives watch our videos here.

SunnyMoney sellers at Tikonadane Community Centre (from left to right: Chris, Stafford, Rachel, Efrida).

Finally, our recent exhibition at the Zambian Agriculture and Commercial Show was a huge success (more news to follow). We generated lots of interest in our solar lights and met with potential partners. Given the massive interest, we are eagerly awaiting a shipment of a new range of products due to arrive in October.

The SolarAid vehicle full of products about to be delivered to partners.

I would also like to say a special thanks to our Finance Volunteer of three months, Ben Hadfield. Ben has been setting new systems in place to ensure smooth functioning while we continue to scale up our operations. He is also in the process of helping to recruit a new accountant for the office.

It's been a busy time for SolarAid Zambia. We are really proud of whats been achieved in the last few months and excited about the future....stay tuned for more news.

To ensure that we continue to reach rural areas of sub-saharan Africa please make a donation here.

East Africa's first solar panel factory opens in Kenya

2011-09-01T15:57:00Z

Yesterday, I travelled to Naivasha, Kenya, with our Macrosolar Assistant, Hudson, to attend the official opening of East Africa's first solar panel factory!

Ubbink's staff member, Martin, explains the manufacturing process to Hudson.

This feels like a great step forward for the solar sector in East Africa. Years ago, together with a handful of like-minded individuals, I worked with community groups in Kenya and Tanzania to set up small scale solar manufacturing units, making 1 - 2 watt panels that powered radios and mobile phones. These were great projects but we always felt that to reach true scale, we would need to set up a high-tech manufacturing unit with a lot of finance behind it. So yesterday was an extra special moment as it looks like Ubbink have nailed it!

Joyce demonstrating the laser scribing process.

From what we saw and heard yesterday, Ubbink, together with its international partners and the Dutch Government, has set up a highly professional factory, which is manufacturing over 100 panels a day of various sizes - to European standards. And they look great.

Walking around the factory, I was impressed with the enthusiasm and knowledge of the staff working on the assembly line. They clearly know their stuff... and I could tell Hudson was impressed too as I had to work hard to tear him away at the end of the day!

Ubbink's solar panel factory in use.

Ubbink have already teamed up with local solar and batteries suppliers, Chloride Excide, so their panels will be available across Kenya and soon, the region. It's great to have panels made in East Africa, for East Africa. This feels like a landmark moment and it is hopefully just the beginning of greater investment in solar manufacturing for Africa.

There is so much sun here, so many skills and so many opportunities! It will be interesting to see how successful these solar panels become and if they can compete with international imports. Let's hope so!

John

For more information please visit http://www.ubbink.co.ke/

John Keane, Head of Programmes, started off as an urban planner before developing a deep interest in international development and solar energy. As a volunteer with Student Partnerships Worldwide (now Restless Development) in Tanzania, he became acutely aware of the pressing need for affordable, renewable energy in the rural communities. Once back in the UK, he researched the concept of micro solar and raised his own funds to go back to Africa and train solar entrepreneurs in Kenya, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Malawi and a number of other countries. He is the world leader on micro solar and a committed development expert.

Makueni Education Day celebrates solar

2011-08-22T11:24:48Z

In July I visited Makueni High School with Microsolar Business Manager, Caroline and Microsolar Assistant, Bryan, as part of Education Day celebrations - an occasion which rewards teacher and student excellence.

The school is one of eight learning centres in Makueni District that we have identified as suitable for macrosolar installations. This means the installation of large solar panels to light classrooms, power laptop computers and charge mobile phones.

However, today we were using the celebrations to demonstrate portable microsolar systems to a packed audience of 4,000 villagers. These lights are used in homes to replace toxic and expensive kerosene or candles. They really do change lives, so it was a great feeling to reach so many students and adults with the power of solar.

Please have a look at some of my photos taken on the day below.

Thanks

Hudson

A huge crowd gathered and watched as we presented SunnyMoney microsolar lights.

Bryan (right) demonstrates household solar lights.

Makueni students performing a show for the huge crowd.

Makueni school received some of the best exam results in the area. Students received prizes for their success.

If you would like to support SolarAid's work so that we can continue to reach rural communities with clean and affordable light from the sun then please make a donation.

Scaling the Spinnaker for solar

2011-08-18T13:59:56Z

A small team of fundraisers abseiled down the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth last week, raising over £500 for SolarAid. The group, all staff from the solar installer Urban Energy, braved dizzying heights and difficult cross winds so that rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa can live with clean and affordable light.

The money is being raised as part of the Hot 100 Challenge for 100 people to raise £1,000 each by the end of the year. Donations will allow: schools to light their class rooms; families to breathe clean air, free of toxic fumes produced by kerosene; health clinics to stay open after dark and entrepreneurs to establish sustainable solar markets. What's more, winning fundraisers have the chance to visit our programmes in Africa and to learn for themselves just how their hard earned gifts are being spent.

Please take a look at Urban Energy's vertigo-inducing pics below. To donate please visit http://www.justgiving.com/UrbanEnergyHot100

Congratulations Urban Energy!

SolarAid