From Pacific Paradise to E-Governance Savvy

- by Zenda Nel

Sun drenched and remote: waves that keep rolling and crashing, rolling and crashing. Palm trees and coconuts, unspoiled stretches of sandy beach - Ulutogia in the Aleipata District of Samoa is a Pacific island paradise. The beauty and peace of the place sooth ravaged urban nerves browning in the heat of the ever present sun.

The same warm rays that turn pale city bodies into human biscuits are being trapped onto solar panels and turned into electricity - electricity that is being used to power VIA pc-1 computers.

The harnessing of sunrays to power computers in remote areas is a pioneering engineering feat supported by none other than Dr. Vinton Cerf, credited as one of the original Internet pioneers. It was at the highly successful PaciNet 2006 Conference in Samoa where Dr. Vinton Cerf was delivering a keynote address that the Chief Internet Evangelist expressed his support and belief in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources such as solar power to Scott Phipps, VIA's International Relations Manager.

His words came at a time when excitement was already peaking around the first Solar Powered ICT Community Centre in the South Pacific in the remote Samoan village of Ulutogia. Ulutogia is a small seaside village sought out by serious travelers rather than comfort-craving tourists. Truly tropical, the colors are tropical greens, azure water and white sand. Accommodation is basic: open-sided veranda-like huts. In short, the setting is idyllic.  Yet, like so many other paradises on earth, the local people have a hard time making ends meet. The one thing that comes to them in vast quantities and at no cost, is sunlight.

The idea to employ solar (photovoltaic) powered computing in Samoa was born at the Global Alliance for ICT and Development Conference in Malaysia in June 2006 where Scott Phipps met Gisa Fuatai Purcell, Director of the Samoan Ministry of ICT. It took them only two months to plan and implement the solar powered ICT Community Center in Ulutogia, the first in the South Pacific.

VIA approached Motech Industries Inc. in Taiwan who for this project, contributed their photovoltaic solar panels free of charge. Using solar energy to power computers makes common sense in island communities like Samoa where grid connection or fuel transport is difficult and costly. Photovoltaic solar cells, which directly convert sunlight into electricity, are made of semiconductor materials. This can include very simple cells that power calculators and watches as well as complex systems that can light houses.

Although modern solar cells with practical efficiency were invented in the early 1950s, and have been used to power satellites since 1959, the technology remained largely unknown and vague, despite growing application since the mid 1970's. This lack of awareness was in part due to the nature of the applications at the time, namely mostly remote telecommunications, navigational aids and other industrial uses which don't feature on the radar of the general public.

Serious consideration of the use of solar power for domestic use has surged in recent years alongside growing interest in other alternative energy sources as evidence of the devastating environmental impact of energy derived from fossil fuels keeps mounting. Traditionally prohibitively expensive, solar panels are becoming more affordable and viable for homes and businesses as technology is improving.

It's hard to argue against solar energy. Where most conventional energy sources cause pollution, deplete natural resources or contribute to global warming, solar power offers a clean, renewable alternative. The process is silent and self-contained, with no moving parts, no emissions and sunlight as a renewable infinite energy source. It is a free resource after capital cost of installation. Most solar panels are warranted for 20 years or more and require little maintenance so it's ideal in places that are hard to get to. Especially in tropical areas like Samoa with year-round sunshine, it translates into a highly reliable and viable energy source.

According to THE DIGITAL DIVIDE REPORT: ICT DIFFUSION INDEX 2005, (http://southasia.oneworld.net) relative to income, the cost of Internet access in low-income countries is 150 times the cost of a comparable service in high-income countries.  VIA has turned this statistic on its head by developing cost-effective technologies specifically for remote communities that maximize the use of natural sun-energy as a primary power source.

The Samoans warmed to the solar idea immediately and communally. The VIA pc-1 Solar Powered Information Community Center was set up with the enthusiastic support of the entire local community. Everybody, young and old got involved, preparing meals, pouring concrete, erecting walls, making furniture, installing phone lines and helping with the installation of the solar system. News of the first solar powered information center created such interest at PaciNet that many attendees and media from around the world made the lengthy trip to Ulutogia to see for themselves what VIA has achieved.

While this project has established VIA as a leader in the design of sustainable ICT solutions, it has been a real boon to this far-flung Pacific community. At the press of a few keys, the world and all it has to offer are at its fingertips. The cyber link here has done what it has already done in other parts of the world: erase isolation. For island communities like Samoa it means 'No island is an island' to paraphrase John Donne. The center is more than mere new computers. It's a strategic move that puts the Samoan government on a different footing: still a tropical paradise in the Pacific but with a government in a position to use information and communication technologies to improve information and service delivery and at the same time be more accountable, transparent and effective. Furthermore, there are already plans in the works to replicate the VIA pc-1 Solar Centre throughout the rest of the country.

Setting up the Information Community Center in Ulutogia has brought VIA closer to realizing its vision: to connect the next 1 billion and in doing so contribute to the eradication of poverty. The local community now has a chance to manage the community center and earn an income by providing content and services to locals as well as travelers. The infra-structure set up by VIA can provide Internet access, word processing, fax, scanner, printing and copying services.

It is community centers like this, that will eventually help to change our world for the better.