LIGHTING UP EAST TIMOR Kate Greenwood, International Projects Manager Alternative Technology Association (ATA)
A BIT ABOUT ME Ò Joined ATA in January 2016 Ò 10 years at Oxfam Australia Ò Experience in international development Ò Ran a small business Ò Worked for big corporations Ò Focus on program quality, relationship management and business development Ò Excited to work on a project combining environmental and social outcomes Ò First trip to East Timor in March this year
East Timor is one of the poorest countries in the world: 50.6% adult literacy rate Life expectancy 68.2 years 20% or 40,000 homes will never be connected to the mains electricity grid
ATA LIGHTING UP EAST TIMOR SINCE 2003 International Projects Group (IPG): Ò Team of dedicated volunteers, meet monthly Ò Installed 1,168 solar systems on East Timorese homes Ò That is approx 5,840 direct beneficiaries Ò Installed 105 solar systems on East Timorese community buildings Ò Developing a toolkit to be shared with others
UNAA WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY AWARDS 2016 Ò ATA - Village Lighting Scheme has been selected as a Finalist in the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards 2016 Clean Energy Award category Ò Winners will be announced in Melbourne on 6 June, World Environment Day Ò Other finalists include: Moreland Energy Foundation, Citizens Own Renewable Energy Network Australia (CORENA) & Clean Energy for Eternity Northern Beaches Chapter (NSW)
VILLAGE LIGHTING SCHEME (VLS) 1) Community Engagement 2) Local Training 3) Technology 4) Maintenance Fund
COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP & MANAGEMENT Ò The technology is not the issue as it works well. Success is based on community buy-in, maintenance, and long term sustainability. Ò Proper community engagement and mobilisation is essential to ensure that solar power is provided to all members of the community (equity), a management committee is set up, money is collected and local technicians can maintain the systems
MIRA FONSECA COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Ò The ATA has engaged the services of Mira Fonseca, an experienced local community facilitator Ò Mira is visiting each village Ò Ensuring readiness Ò Explaining the model Ò Meeting community leaders Ò Doing a baseline survey Ò Insider perspective Ò Eyes and ears on the ground Ò Working with Friendship Groups
THE COMMITTEE Ò Each community agrees to a constitution with rights and obligations of the committee, the technicians and the householders Ò 3-5 committee members in each village (usually elected). Must be literate and numerate Ò Need to be more inclusive, representative (more women) Ò Communicate with Friendship Group, ATA and householders Ò Collect money and manage the finances Ò Organise and pay technicians Ò Send reports to Friendship Groups and ATA Ò Resolve issues
MAINTENANCE FUND Ò The VLS is not a handout Ò Each household pays US$10 to have a system installed Ò They pay $2 per month into a maintenance fund Ò This is slightly less than average expenditure on kerosene Ò Fund is managed by the committee Ò Fund used to pay technicians and CNEFP Ò If households stop paying or tamper with the system, it can be removed by the committee
HOW IT WORKS
LOCAL TRAINING Ò 2 technicians trained in each village Ò Technicians trained by CNEFP, our partner organisation Ò Training materials provided by ATA Ò Technicians paid to attend training and provided with a toolkit Ò Technicians install, monitor and repair systems Ò They are paid by the committee from the fund Ò Need to look at selection criteria (more diversity)
TRAINING LOCAL TECHNICIANS
CNEFP CENTRE FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION & TRAINING (OUR TRAINING PARTNER) Ò 2010 Solar Design, Installation & Maintenance Curriculum - First Certificate L2 training course recognised by Timorese Government Ò Team of 6 full time staff who teach students in solar power and are contracted by the ATA to design, install, maintain and modify solar power systems across Timor
NUMBER OF PEOPLE TRAINED BY CNEFP
DORA ELO CNEFP SOLAR TEAM LEADER
GOAL OF THE VLS Provide low-cost, environmentally friendly and sustainable solar powered lighting and electricity systems to households to enable increased productive activities and social and economic wellbeing We enjoy the night time now, because we don t go to bed early, because we can do something at the night time because of the Lampu Diak
INCREASED PRODUCTIVE HOURS Ò Imagine each family member having an extra 4 hours of productive time each day Ò With an average 5 people per household in East Timor Ò That is 20 hours of extra productive time per household each day Ò Or 7,300 extra productive hours per household each year Ò For study, work, small business and social activities
VLS GOAL: Provide low- cost, environmentally friendly and sustainable solar powered lighang and electricity systems to households to enable increased producave acaviaes and social and economic wellbeing Improved environment Improved health Improved learning outcomes Improved security Improved economic wellbeing Community and partners empowered to own and manage VLS Reduction in inside smoke and kerosene use Fewer health concerns associated with kerosene and smoke Addi4onal opportunity to study aeer dark Light at night increases safety Phone charged to increase connec4vity Addi4onal 4me to do work aeer dark Partners have improved knowledge and skills to generate income Sustainability of VLS is increased through local ownership Ligh4ng systems are repaired Provision of clean energy Func4oning lights inside house (x3) Functioning night light inside or outside house Func4oning USB outlet (phone, torch) Local partners learn necessary skills to implement, manage and monitor VLS Technicians are paid to successfully install, maintain and repair VLS Households pay into Community Maintenance Fund VLS system installed at household level Capacity building of partners Technician training Management CommiLee Maintenance fund Technical Design and Development of VLS system
OBJECTIVE 1: IMPROVED ENVIRONMENT Provision of clean energy with no fumes or ongoing waste Reduction in inside smoke and kerosene use Lampu Diak is clean, it doesn t stain my clothes. We can see what comes into our house now our food is safe.
OBJECTIVE 2: IMPROVED HEALTH Household members, especially children, experience fewer health problems (particularly respiratory problems and eye strain) by reducing the use of kerosene and indoor wood burning for lighting Life is better with Lampu Diak My family is safer. The children can study at night and their eyes don t hurt anymore while they study
OBJECTIVE 3: IMPROVED LEARNING OUTCOMES School children have improved literacy and numeracy as a result of having the opportunity to engage in study after dark The Lampu Diak is good for the children. They can do their homework in the night after we collect the firewood (for cooking) and do the work.
OBJECTIVE 4: IMPROVED SECURITY Household members feel more secure in their homes due to improved lighting at night and increased phone connectivity during an emergency This is especially true for women Lampu Diak keeps the devil away at night
OBJECTIVE 5: IMPROVED ECONOMIC WELLBEING Households generate and/or save money Ò Less money spent on kerosene and candles Ò Generate extra income from new or existing livelihood activities The solar light is good for us. It is less expensive than the kerosene. We used to pay $10 and we also had to get to the shop. With the Lampu Diak we can make Tais at night. We also make carpeting at night
GOOGLE IMPACT CHALLENGE FUNDING $250,000 grant to: Ò Prototype the next model of the VLS system Ò Install 550 VLS systems Ò Train 30 village-based technicians Ò Development of online mapping database Ò Independent assessment of the project Ò Share VLS methodology with other countries
NEW FEATURES OF THE VLS Ò Data logging the new systems have in-built system IDs and data files to enable monitoring of system performance over time Ò Addition of USB rechargeable torches an additional security feature Ò Investment in robust monitoring & evaluation framework for accountability and learning Ò Investment in community engagement Ò Increased incentives to retain local technicians
USB RECHARGEABLE TORCH
COORDINATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT Our aim is to provide solar lighting for every East Timorese household that is not and will not be connected to the electricity grid or benefit from the government s renewable energy program. Electrification is a key dimension of poverty reduction and economic development in East Timor, and will reduce the inequality between urban and rural populations.
COORDINATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT Ò Working closely with the Director of Renewable Energy Ò Govt has nominated households in need of solar electricity Ò Received Govt endorsement for our 2016 plans Ò ATA doing up to 800 solar installations in 2016 Ò Govt doing 640 solar installations in 2016 Ò Agreement to resolve double up in 2 villages Ò Govt systems are different to the ATA s (they are free, no regulator and no maintenance plan) Ò Influencing Govt to replicate our community-managed maintenance model
VLS PILOTS - NOVEMBER 2015 Ò ATA sent 2 groups to Timor in November 2015 to pilot the new systems Ò One group went to Besilau, Aileu to do training and install 20 systems Ò Another group went to Baukmeke, Lacluta to do training and install 27 systems Ò Learning from these pilots to inform project development (e.g. spare parts, system performance and retention of local technicians)
BESILAU NOVEMBER 2015
BAUKMEKE NOVEMBER 2015
SCALING UP IN 2016 Ò Google funding has enabled ATA to leverage other funding Ò We have ordered 800 systems in 2016 Ò 500 for Google (excluding the pilots) Ò 160 extra for KVRP Ò 140 balance for Rotary project, Timor Adventures and spares Ò Production, freight and logistics at this scale has been challenging Ò Going to new areas that are more remote
SIZE OF EAST TIMOR IN RELATION TO VICTORIA
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR VLS Ò May/June community visits, baseline survey, prepare training and community engagement materials Ò Late June - Michael O Connell delivers intensive training to CNEFP (train the trainer) Ò Early July - Freight arrives in Dili Ò Mid July - Assembly and testing and logistics Ò Late July - Systems delivered to Besilau (and data collection) Ò Late July Training & installs in Triloka Ò Early August - Training & installs in Lacluta Ò Early September Training & installs in Remexio Ò October and beyond ongoing monitoring Ò 2017 impact evaluation
WORKING BEE AT PLASMATRONICS
WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW? Ò Finalising implementation schedule and logistics with CNEFP, Mira and volunteers Ò Signing MoUs with Friendship Groups (co-funding) Ò Assembling 800 solar units Ò Delivering to Rotary ship leaves 6 th June Ò Updating VLS toolkit (technical training manual and community engagement documents) and getting them translated into Tetun Ò Getting ready to launch the mapping database
MAPPING DATABASE FUNDED BY GOOGLE The mapping website has 3 purposes: Ò Marketing and fundraising showing the breadth of ATA s solar projects current and future - in East Timor (for the public and donors) Ò Project Database data management and analysis (for ATA and CNEFP) Ò Maintenance for audit purposes (for ATA and CNEFP) currently on hold *Website to be launched in June*
HTTP://MAPS.ATA.ORG.AU/MAPGUIDE/IPG_PORTAL/INDEX.HTML
THE FUTURE OF VLS Ò Skilling up CNEFP for improved in-country training, monitoring and stage 2 of the database Ò Lighting up the Latrine Ò Availability of spare parts local kiosks? Ò EnergyPlus initiatives for productive use of energy for livelihoods improvement Ò A rigorous evaluation for greater accountability, learning and evidence of impact Ò Improved case studies and photographs Ò Focus on sharing and replication who with and how? Ò Business development securing more funding
LIGHTING FOR LITERACY PILOT PROJECT
LIGHTING FOR LITERACY ROTARY Ò New proposal being developed, will be submitted to Rotary International. Ò If successful, will be implemented from 2016-2018 in conjunction with Rotary Club of Doncaster and researchers from La Trobe University. ATA budget $82K Ò To improve literacy levels of children and adults in remote communities by installing solar lighting in homes and the local school and providing literacy support programs Ò Plan to pilot and evaluate the project in a village of 100 homes with the aim of packaging a replicable model for communities in East Timor and other developing countries.
ATAURO ISLAND FEASIBILITY STUDY
ATAURO ISLAND Ò ATA working with a local NGO, Roman Luan, on the island of Atauro, 30km from the capital Dili. Ò Hundreds of solar systems installed by the government have failed due to lack of maintenance. This has led to a lack of trust in solar technology. Ò Feasibility study aims to provide access to a solar power maintenance service through the employment of a skilled Solar Electrician for the island, and adoption of a community funded maintenance model. Ò 6 month project, April to September 2016. Funded by Australian Ethical grant of $10K. Incorporate learning from VLS and Besik (Australian funded water and sanitation program) Ò Friends of Atauro (Indigo Shire) have agreed to fund scholarships for 2 students (one male, one female) from Atauro to train in solar PV at CNEFP in 2017.
ROMAN LUAN ATAURO MARCH 2016
TIMOR ADVENTURES LIGHT UP EAST TIMOR Ò Run by Shirley and Dave Carlos - commitment to community work and passion for adventure travel Ò Aim to create economic development in the villages Ò Work in partnership with the ATA to light up houses and community buildings in remote villages Ò Tour participants have a hands on experience and make a donation to the ATA Ò In 2016, there are 2 tours: É 13 th 21 st July (9 days) Atauro Island É 10 th 18 th October (9 days) Baguia For more information: http://www.timoradventures.com.au/tours/light-up-timor-leste/
WANT TO HELP OR GET INVOLVED? Ò Volunteer (time and/or expertise) É Email: ipg@ata.org.au Ò Spread the word tell your friends about us! Ò Donate - Support ATA s work in East Timor with a tax deductible donation: É Donate $30 to buy 10 USB rechargeable torches É Donate $50 to buy a solar panel for a family É Donate $300 to buy a whole solar system for a family É Donate other amount give as little or as much as you like. Every dollar counts Visit: www.ata.org.au/what-we-do/ipg
THANK YOU