SolarTuk Expedition

SolarTuk photovoltaics coordinator Dr. Matt Edwards is partnering with rockclimber Alex Honnold, star of the Oscar winning film Free Solo, to bring solar power to the Solomon Islands:

We are unbelieveably excited to annouce that BlueVolt is partnering with professional rock climber Alex Honnold, star of the Oscar-winning film ‘Free Solo,' to help bring solar power to remote villages in the Solomon Islands!

Founded in 2012, the Honnold Foundation supports initiatives around the world using solar energy to improve human lives and reduce environmental impacts.

BlueVolt was awarded one of eight grants out of a pool of over 700 global applicants. It is the first Australian organisation to receive the Foundation’s support.

BlueVolt’s Savo Solar Initiative will see 8kw of solar, plus storage, installed at a community tourism business on Savo, a largely unelectrified island 35 kilometers off the coast of Honiara, the nation’s capital.

While Solomon Islands has recorded zero cases of COVID-19, the pandemic has hurt its economy. Authorities hope the country’s emerging tourism industry can help drive the recovery.

But like elsewhere in the Pacific, local tourism businesses are often dependent on diesel generators for electricity, which is not only emissions intensive, but extremely expensive.

“Diesel systems are bad for the environment, bad for community health, and bad for Pacific economies”, says Dr. Matt Edwards, BlueVolt founder and CEO.

“By replacing our client’s diesel system with world-class solar energy, its emissions will be eradicated, toxic fumes will be a memory, and more tourism dollars will remain in the local economy”, he says.

Having partnered with Savo Island’s sole tourism venture, BlueVolt will implement a system that eliminates local emissions, drastically reduces energy costs, and empowers a community that sits on the front-lines of the climate crisis.

“Despite contributing the least to climate change, Pacific communities like those on Savo stand to suffer the most”, says Dr Edwards. “The Savo Solar Initiative will not only drive down local energy costs, but enable Savo to demonstrate environmental leadership, and help grow the local eco-tourism economy once COVID-19 is behind us”.

BlueVolt and Honnold Foundation were connected by McKell Institute’s head of policy Eddie Acton Cavanough, whose 2019 research on Pacific energy documented Savo Island’s energy challenge.

“Affordable solar energy is vital for the Pacific’s economic future, and Australian clean-tech innovators like BlueVolt are in a unique position to responsibly enter these markets”, says Cavanough, who is advising the initiative.

“This project is a real-world example of Australia’s clean-tech sector stepping up to work alongside Pacific partners to deliver a cleaner, more equitable future for our region”, says Cavanough.

Like much of Solomon Islands, Savo is mostly unelectrified. A 4-hour return boat trip to Honiara to purchase ice to keep food cool and safe is a common occurrence. BlueVolt and the Honnold Foundation believe this must change.

The Initiative is backed by local authorities.

“The Savo Solar Initiative will help a key local tourism business spend less money on diesel, and more on its community”, says Josefa Tuomatu, the CEO of Tourism Solomons, who is responsible for driving the country’s tourism economy after COVID-19.

“We welcome BlueVolt’s commitment to helping Solomon Islands transition to a more sustainable future” , he says.

Central Province Premier Stanley Maniteva has also welcomed the investment in his community.

“The Central Province Government would like to thank BlueVolt and the Honnold Foundation for their efforts invested towards the Savo Solar Initiative”, he said, through a spokesperson. “The Provincial Government and the people of Savo are looking forward to the implementation of the project”.

The Savo Solar Initiative will join a family of Honnold Foundation projects overcoming energy injustice in Indonesia, Cambodia, Ecuador, Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States, and will be delivered soon after the Solomon Islands/Australia border is re-opened.

You can read more about the project here:
https://medium.com/savo-solar-initiative/introducing-bluevolts-savo-solar-initiative-83efb1dbb11c

And on the Honnold Foundation website here:
http://www.honnoldfoundation.org/partners/savo-island-solar-initiative

Photo: Jimmy Chin

Wonderful to give a late evening presentation to the Energy Club at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay! Great chats about the future of solar and electric vehicles in India.

And if three wheels is too many for you then check out Sushil Reddy who has done 70+ days around India on a solar powered bike!

Nothing says “oh dear” like torrential rain in a not very waterproof solar vehicle on a road 3 wheelers are not meant to be driving on with insane traffic and only 2m visibility. Thank goodness our GPS was being helpful 😂

The tuk has a 7kW (beautifully quiet) electric motor but the input energy we have received from a wonderful network of entrepreneurs in India is something we can’t measure!

Mayank Gupta and Aakarsh Shamanur are some of the amazing entrepreneurs that have kindly welcomed us into their homes - you can check out their ventures below including solar power for street vendors and advanced organic aquaponics!

The tuk runs on volts but we run on chai! Morning breakfast stop at our new friend Imam’s shop. Our net weight is 900 kg but it’s a few more every day in India... ☕️ 🍛 🔌

Everyone loves renewable energy! ⚡️🔌

The tuk draws some serious attention everywhere it goes...

Today we got pulled over by the police (3 times), the National Highway Authority of India and by a man who jumped off his motorbike in the middle of a six lane highway to stand in front of us and get a selfie.

We don’t encourage dangerous driving but we love chatting to everyone who wants to know about how our little tuk goes without petrol or diesel!

So many smiling faces today at GHPS Neerthadi school! We chatted about how we can get energy from the sun and why using renewable energy is great for the environment. Thank you to headmaster Veeresh for translating to Kannada and his staff for hosting us (and sharing lots of local snacks!)

We also found a solar farm to play in along the way....but it was a top secret renewable energy facility so sadly tuk had to wait outside.

The SolarTuk is on its way! After some false paperwork starts in customs, our little red champion has started winding its way through the busy streets of Chennai and then west across the country! 🚀🚗 ☀️

Vanakkam! The SolarTuk has touched down in India and we are plotting our route across the country with a little help from the Australian Consulate in Chennai! Happy belated India Independence Day! 🇮🇳 Australia in India