Have a look at this fantastic NASA image of the world by night, demonstrating so clearly where the power is. Almost the entire continent of Africa - sans the northern edge and South Africa down the bottom - is in darkness. Around 500 million people dont have access to basic electricity, and that has a direct impact on a community's productivity, and their ability to educate.
Then check out Australia - only the coastal cities are lit. No hint of the remote communities up north or in the centre - which makes you wonder how they are going on the basic education front while our city kids have the world at their fingertips.
I was fortunate enough to meet with Lyndon Frears from the multi-award-winning CAT Projects, when he visited San Francisco last month. Lyndon was in town meeting with Google to discuss CAT's Bushlite India project, and its possibilities for application in other sizeable power-starved communities. CAT brings their sturdy solar power solutions to indigenous communities in Australia as well as overseas, and the products are developed in Alice Springs where CAT engineers live out a rugged, fairly remote lifestyle with enough dust and grit to thoroughly test their products. Below is a "menu" of powered products which forms part of the Bushlite communications package for Energy Budgeting.
Then check out Australia - only the coastal cities are lit. No hint of the remote communities up north or in the centre - which makes you wonder how they are going on the basic education front while our city kids have the world at their fingertips.
I was fortunate enough to meet with Lyndon Frears from the multi-award-winning CAT Projects, when he visited San Francisco last month. Lyndon was in town meeting with Google to discuss CAT's Bushlite India project, and its possibilities for application in other sizeable power-starved communities. CAT brings their sturdy solar power solutions to indigenous communities in Australia as well as overseas, and the products are developed in Alice Springs where CAT engineers live out a rugged, fairly remote lifestyle with enough dust and grit to thoroughly test their products. Below is a "menu" of powered products which forms part of the Bushlite communications package for Energy Budgeting.
I am hoping to cover the CAT Bushlite project in lots of detail for Curve Industrial Design magazine early next year. Meanwhile I have just completed a feature on Goal Zero, a US-based company manufacturing innovative portable solar power products for use in developing countries, but also for sale to sophisticated outdoor adventurers in countries like the USA and Australia. I have a Goal Zero energy pack that I use at Burning Man - we covered it in the Whole HOG BUG section a few months ago (September 2011). Brilliantly simple and really effective. Check it out.
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