Three riders on BMW motorcycles, 6,600 kilometers and a mission to donate portable solar home-lighting systems to 40 communities in off-grid villages, including protected areas, indigenous people tribes, Bangsa Moro, fishing, and farming communities.
On April 16, Philippe Saubier, Ibba Rasul Bernardo and Antonio Villanueva will embark on a 19-day motorcycle tour to distribute solar lanterns throughout the Philippine archipelago. More importantly, their journey will call attention to an advocacy whose ultimate goal is to provide 3.5 million homes across the Philippines with safe, reliable and sustainable energy. Called Ride for Light 2011, the activity is an initiative of Stiftung Solarenergie — Solar Energy Foundation Philippines. This is the local arm of an international non-profit organization whose mission is to work for rural development and poverty alleviation by providing solar energy in rural and marginalized areas worldwide.
“We go to people who do not have access to clean, reliable and sustainable energy,” explains Jim Ayala, chairman of Solar Energy Foundation Philippines. “Electricity drives productivity and is essential to social and economic growth. It is not difficult to understand that in areas without electricity, productive activity slows down or ceases after sunset, making it difficult to run viable businesses, and further retarding the pace of progress.”
Ayala continues, “The negative effects of lack of electrification are not limited to economic issues alone. There is the risk of serious injury or death from kerosene fires, and a child’s education can be compromised in the absence of a reliable light source.” In addition, there are health issues related to poor lighting, or the inhalation of smoke or soot; plus environmental costs when disposable batteries are used.
Recognizing that it will take years for traditional providers to build electrical facilities in remote places, the Solar Energy Foundation has taken the initiative to distribute 670 solar lanterns during the Ride for Light tour. However, this is not a simple dole-out.
“The intention and objective is to enable communities to stay connected so that they will develop and prosper,” says Ayala. “Donations will be made in conjunction with community development partners who are part of the Stiftung Solarenergie network. That way, these 40 communities will be permanently connected to the network so they will be able to get service, financing, and additional units over time.”
Success of the program is greatly enhanced by working hand-in-hand with a network of local partners. “We are a strong network of organizations and companies with different tasks and responsibilities, working together to achieve the goal of rural development,” explains Ayala. “The use of solar is thus sustainable and solar penetration grows over time.”
But how, exactly, will the system work? Ayala explains that while the solar lanterns are essentially for community use (in schools, barangay clinics, fiestas, etc.), the units will be entrusted to community partners or cooperatives who are encouraged to rent these out for a minimal fee. The rental proceeds are then pooled together so that additional solar lanterns can be purchased. “With longer work hours and better productivity, incomes increase. When residents add up the cost of their kerosene consumption and realize that a solar lantern is actually cheaper, hopefully they will be encouraged to buy a solar lantern of their own,” says Ayala.
The solar lanterns manufactured by technology partner Hybrid Social Solutions (HSSI) can also be used for charging cellular phones, are designed to last over 10 years (the solar panel is good for 20 years), and maintenance consists of making sure that the solar battery is fully charged. Should the battery fail in four to five years, a replacement will cost P400. The lanterns are also extremely durable. To illustrate this, Ayala chucked a unit on a stone floor. “Solar energy is the future,” he says. “The possibilities of solar technology applications can be likened to what cellular phone technology did to the land line.”
Although the solar lanterns are priced at a mere P3,000, the cost of lighting up the countryside remains daunting. After, all statistics indicate that 26.4 percent or over 20 million Filipinos live in areas without electricity. “We need help so that the public will become aware of their plight and do something concrete about it by sponsoring solar villages,” says Ayala. He thumbs down a suggestion that the solar lanterns be sold for a profit, since a commercial demand could tie up a significant percentage of the units produced by partner company HSSI, of which he is both founder and chief executive officer.
“I want to make sure that my company will work for my target market. The objective is to give access and allow communities to develop. This time, profit will be measured in terms of how the living conditions of people improve,” Ayala resolutely declares.
* * *
For sponsorship options, visit http://stiftung-solarenergie.org.ph/donate. Alternatively, each individual can do his share by donating through GCash. Simply go through the following procedure:
For one-time registration (skip this step if you are already registered), text: REG<space>4-digit PIN/mother’s maiden name/first name/last name/address (Example: REG 1234/Garcia/Dennis/Lim/Ortigas). Send to 2882.
Convert Cash to GCash at any Globe outlet, SM Department Stores, Partner rural banks, BancNet ATMs, BPI mobile banking service, etc.
To donate, text: DONATE<space>amount<space>4-digit PIN<space>R4L (Example: DONATE 100 1234 R4L). Send to 2882.
Each peso donated through GCash will help light one night for a family in an off-grid area in the Philippines.
* * *
To know more about the Ride for Light project, visit http://rideforlight.blogspot.com.