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Permalink Reply by Evan Mills on January 14, 2013 at 2:19pm

• Project name: LuxTreks: Peru
• Dates:  2004
• Location (town/city/country & map): Map Link
  
• Contact person: faith@luxtreks.com
• Organizations involved: LuxTreks
• Sponsors: Trek participants from industrialized countries finance the travel and lighting system costs.
• Number and type(s) of lighting systems deployed: Not reported
• Photos

• Luxtreks’ starting approach was to treat the lighting systems as gifts to the community where they were installed. The condition was that all the persons in the community should receive a light and that they would be responsible for ensuring money was collected to replace batteries in due course and report to us of any problems that occurred. We hoped that the community would also undertake some action to recognize the gift and this might take the form of installing smokeless stoves (which helped to keep the lights clean), or to clean the garbage out of water course in the community. This did not work out as hoped.

  Subsequently we tried to ensure that someone in the community or close to it could keep an eye on the lights and maintain them if required. This has only occurred in a minority of cases.
  
  The present model contains five components:

• 1. A group of potentially interested persons is trained to build and maintain lights with the understanding that they would use this to develop a business and sell lights to the community. They are provided with an initial 100 lantern kits to build and sell. They undertake to report to us about any problems encountered and how their business is progressing. They are required to sell at a fixed price and to honour a guarantee.
  2. The group is also given some basic business training so that they understand that they need to keep enough money to buy additional component kits to ensure that the business will continue to operate.
  3. The group is also given some training in microcredit principles. It is left to then to determine how this will work in their environment, what practices would be acceptable and how to ensure that loans are repaid. If they wish to start a microcredit program, which enables them to increase their market but also makes the lanterns accessible to the poorest people in the community, then they are given a further number of lantern kits to act as a seed for their microcredit program.
  4. We try to establish a supply chain for obtaining supplies of components without depending on Luxtreks. In effect this could be a separate business which could support a number of builders in a region. At present this still requires considerable hand holding.
  5. Luxtreks continues to improve the lantern design based on the experience obtained. We have managed to reduce the cost of components, improve the reliability, reduce the tool requirements and to improve the ease of assembly. Part of the focus is to make use where possible of locally available components. We will also address development requirements such as the inclusion of a cell phone charger into the lantern.
• Links to other docs:
  http://www.luxtreks.com/

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Permalink Reply by Evan Mills on January 14, 2013 at 2:20pm

• Project name: LuxTreks: Bolivia
• Dates: 2004
• Location (town/city/country & Map Link): Tahana
  
• Contact person: faith@luxtreks.com
• Organizations involved: LuxTreks
• Sponsors: Trek participants from industrialized countries finance the travel and lighting system costs.
• Number and type(s) of lighting systems deployed:120 homes
• Photos

• Luxtreks’ starting approach was to treat the lighting systems as gifts to the community where they were installed. The condition was that all the persons in the community should receive a light and that they would be responsible for ensuring money was collected to replace batteries in due course and report to us of any problems that occurred. We hoped that the community would also undertake some action to recognize the gift and this might take the form of installing smokeless stoves (which helped to keep the lights clean), or to clean the garbage out of water course in the community. This did not work out as hoped.

  Subsequently we tried to ensure that someone in the community or close to it could keep an eye on the lights and maintain them if required. This has only occurred in a minority of cases.
  
  The present model contains five components:

• 1. A group of potentially interested persons is trained to build and maintain lights with the understanding that they would use this to develop a business and sell lights to the community. They are provided with an initial 100 lantern kits to build and sell. They undertake to report to us about any problems encountered and how their business is progressing. They are required to sell at a fixed price and to honour a guarantee.
  2. The group is also given some basic business training so that they understand that they need to keep enough money to buy additional component kits to ensure that the business will continue to operate.
  3. The group is also given some training in microcredit principles. It is left to then to determine how this will work in their environment, what practices would be acceptable and how to ensure that loans are repaid. If they wish to start a microcredit program, which enables them to increase their market but also makes the lanterns accessible to the poorest people in the community, then they are given a further number of lantern kits to act as a seed for their microcredit program.
  4. We try to establish a supply chain for obtaining supplies of components without depending on Luxtreks. In effect this could be a separate business which could support a number of builders in a region. At present this still requires considerable hand holding.
  5. Luxtreks continues to improve the lantern design based on the experience obtained. We have managed to reduce the cost of components, improve the reliability, reduce the tool requirements and to improve the ease of assembly. Part of the focus is to make use where possible of locally available components. We will also address development requirements such as the inclusion of a cell phone charger into the lantern.
• Links to other docs:
  http://www.luxtreks.com/
  
  Fairley, P. 2004. "Lighting Up the Andes", IEEE Spectrum.

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Permalink Reply by Mr. Duch on August 21, 2013 at 9:50pm

• Project name:  Region #1 Solar Electrification Program
• Dates:  March 2011 - February 2012
• Location (town/city/country & Map Link) Mabaruma and Moruca subregions Region#1, Guyana
• Contact person: Duch Routt (duchroutt@gmail.com)
• Organizations involved: ECPA, Department of State, Peace Corps, Guayanese National Government
• Sponsors:  Environment and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ecpamericas.org), US State Department and Peace Corps (peacecorps.org)
• Number and type(s) of lighting systems deployed:  18 stand alone battery based systems used in rural community hospitals, schools, water towers, radio communications, DC refrigeration, and general lighting. Varying types of equipment used in the process.
• Photos:    https://plus.google.com/105140444184686374799/photos

• Project description and results: 

Through 19 trainings over 281 residents of Guyana were instructed basic solar technology and how it can be applied to each of their sites located throughout mostly hinterland areas in Region 1 & 2.  Both community residents and government officials took part in trainings focused on basic photovoltaic theory, solar payback and return on investment, general solar maintenance, system repair and trouble shooting, and basic installation and expansion.  These trainings enabled individuals to become more knowledgeable on how solar works and how it will continue playing a significant role in Guyana’s expanding energy needs.

Out of the 18 independent systems installer or rehabilitated ( see attached file), the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) allotted 5 grants totaling $15,000USD towards 7 community led solar installs or rehabilitations, and 1 Peace Corps solar training program with myself being 1 of 3 trainers.

• Links to other docs:  (http://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/media/press/1605/) (http://www.ecpamericas.org/initiatives/?id=35) (https://www.facebook.com/PeaceCorpsGuyana/posts/424617810911697)

Attachments:

• Region#1 Solar Electrification Program.docx, 386 KB
• Health Hut Work.JPG, 1.4 MB
• c2.JPG, 1.8 MB

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