SolarGen is a community of Professionals and Academics working together to develop an effective and affordable way to provide solar power in settlements that currently have no electricity. The principle of the design is to use readily available and low cost materials to build a system that can be constructed without any overly complicated manufacturing processes. Using domestic mirror glass, steel and car spares the end system is designed to be considerable cheaper then the existing Photo Voltaic cells which are often too expensive for rural settlements and townships. Being a mechanical system SolarGen is more labour intensive but uses much less expensive material making it well suited to the market in Africa and other developing countries with high unemployment.

The research and development is being done with the ´Open Source´ branding meaning that anyone will be able to build there own system without copyright restrictions. It should make a product which is an ideal starting point of small business. With over 40% of rural South Africa out of reach for the national electricity grid, it could have a wide spread market and without the cost of research and development a great starting opportunity to give quick payback on investments. We are planning to run workshops and courses in the construction and maintenance of the system to encourage this as much as possible.

The effect of bringing electricity into developing communities is hoped to have a positive impact on quality of life, education and health. A partnership with an organisation bring educational software into rural schools is being explored and could well form a close collaboration.

The project was conceived at the PoC - Johannesburg Living Sustainable Meeting held monthly at the ´Greenhouse Project´ in Joubert Park. It was largely inspired by the centre and its show casing of alternative technology for environmentally sustainable living. The idea of creating an Open Source community to develop a prototype and the designs was heavily influenced by my exposure to Pioneers of Change and there approach to building enthusiastic communities of motivated individuals.

Over the last 6 months the project has evolved a great deal, a comprehensive website has been put on the internet and numerous tools added to help people work together online. A well-equipped workshop has been set-up at Joubert Park and a prototype is progressing rapidly. A group of members has expanded to about 20 people around the world and a database of over 100 contacts and leads has grown and included connections to rural communities, sources of funding and suppliers.

During this time there have been numerous points where enthusiasm has peaked on flagged but a fundamental belief in the idea has always been there and keep it moving. An exposure to a such an amazing range of different projects and organisation happening at a grass roots level in South Africa has defiantly been encouraging and seeing so many of them succeeding in there goals mainly through the determination of the founds has been an immense support.

www.solargen.org

e-mail Henri Wood

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