[Bridging_the_digital_divide] the use of solar power for laptops

Fri Sep 10 07:56:57 EDT 2004

  Solar plan for Indian computers
By Ram Dutt Tripathi
  BBC correspondent in Lucknow

   Authorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have drawn up a 
pilot project to use solar power to run computers in village schools.

  Nearly 80% of houses are estimated to have no power, and many villages 
suffer frequent disruption in supply because of power cuts or other 
faults.

  Many have to use kerosene lamps for light and most government-run 
primary schools have no power at all.

  It is hoped the plan will help schools cope with the rural power 
crisis.

  Last year, the Uttar Pradesh Education for All Project Board bought 
about 1,000 computers for selected primary schools in all 70 districts.

  The schools were selected in villages which had no power lines, and 
teachers were given special training for computer-aided education.

  When my solar AC converter is ready it will be very convenient. I will 
run computers as well as fans in my school
   Gyaneshwar Varma, Tikara Patti villager

  A further 1,000 computers are to be purchased this year for village 
schools, but most of these will not work because there is no power 
available.

  "In the present situation of power supply we are not sure that 
electricity will be available in rural schools for computers," said GB 
Patnaik from the Alternative Energy Department.

  "To overcome this, we have drawn a scheme to arrange solar energy for 
these computers."

  The cost of running solar panels to power computers in one school 
would cost about £1,000, which is expensive for many schools.

  But Parth Sarthi Sen Sharma, director for the Education for All 
project, said funds would be arranged on a 50-50 basis by both 
departments.

  Mr Sharma said the expenditure will be cost effective in the long run.

  Innovative uses

  As authorities in the education and alternative energy departments try 
to arrange funds, some farmers who have solar pumps for irrigation are 
making efforts to use this natural and clean energy source for other 
purposes.

  So far, solar energy has been used for cooking, heating water, light 
and running tube wells.

  Gyaneshwar Varma, who lives in the village of Tikara Patti nearly 50km 
east of the state capital Lucknow, bought a computer 15 years ago, 
primarily to play card and chess games.

  Later he purchased another computer for his school, but it had no 
electricity supply.

  He had to take his children into the village to learn about computers, 
but the power supply in the village was also very erratic and there was 
no fixed schedule for power.

  Mr Varma, a civil engineer by training, installed a solar pump in his 
school campus to irrigate his farms.

  Now he wants to convert the solar energy into 220-volt AC electricity, 
and has hired a mechanic from the industrial city Kanpur to make a 
power inverter for $124 (£70).

  "When my solar AC converter is ready it will be very convenient. I 
will run computers as well as fans in my school," said Mr Varma.

  Government regulations say solar pumps should be used for irrigation 
purposes only. But other farmers and youths are inventing all kinds of 
new uses of solar energy, generating employment and additional income.

  One Umari villager in the Barabanki district is charging batteries to 
run TVs in rural areas, which gives him an extra income of $3.50 (£2) a 
day.

  Farmer Sharmail Singh has dug a pond near his solar pump in his 
farmhouse, which is used for fisheries and drinking water for buffalos. 
Solar pumps provide light in the night via a battery.

  "It is almost a power house," commented his son Ranjit Singh.

  The state of Uttar Pradesh currently has 2.7 million diesel engine 
tube wells and 600,000 electric motor tube wells.

  Last year 109 solar pumps were installed, but the administration now 
aims to install 400 in 2004.

  Farmers only have to pay a fourth of the cost and the rest is 
subsidised by the government. Banks are also lending farmers the money 
they need to pay out.

  And if Mr Varma succeeds in developing the technology to run fans and 
computers from solar pumps it may encourage other farmers to do the 
same, giving them a more reliable and cleaner source of power.

  Story from BBC NEWS:
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/3623864.stm

  Published: 2004/09/05 21:37:57 GMT

  © BBC MMIV

---

Jason Barkeloo
President
TouchSmart Publishing
http://www.touchsmart.net
t: 513.225.8765
f: 206.666.4856

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