Tech Meets Good: Lights in Laos

By Dan Estabrook - October 13, 2008 A country with 5.8 million people, Laos is commited to delivering electricity to 90% of its people by 2020.  While only about half of its population currently connect to the power grid (mostly in cities and towns), bringing power to the remaining population will prove difficult due to the lack of infrastructure, affordability, and their remote locations. As in other developing countries, it makes sense to go solar - but with most of the population living on less than $2 per day, solar is not a feasible alternative for many.  One Lao company, Sunlabob Rural Energy, Ltd., has helped alleviate this issue by renting solar-based power systems.  The company's sustainable business model allows communities to help themselves without subsidies.  It also displaces environmentally damaging energy sources such as firewood and kerosene. The company rents solar-powered lanterns at a rate that is comparable to that of kerosene lamps.  The lamps provide light for 15 hours and the family can then recharge them (for a small fee) from the village's solar-power collection facility.  The company also trains franchisees to install solar photovoltaic equipment in their villages and trains local technicians to maintain them. A third option is one the company designed for larger villages -- it utilizes solar, hydro and generator power to create an electrical grid for the entire village. 1,800 solar home systems and 500 solar lanterns have been rented to families in 73 villages across Laos.  The company hopes to expand into Cambodia and Indonesia in the near future. Sunlabob is a 2008 Environment Award Laureate of the San Jose (CA) Tech Museum.  It is the same awards that honored the Aquaduct, about which I wrote last week. An interesting sidenote is that the company also works with local orthotics and rehabilitation organizations to recycle the polypropylene off-cuts from their prosthetic limb production for use to build components for its solar equipment.  Now, that's true recycling! Photo source: sunlabob.com “Technology Meets Good” is a regular Monday feature at Tonic News.  If you have cool examples of technology doing good in our world, please email dan[at]tonic.com.