TACLOBAN—Residents of Barangay San Agustin in Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte, can now enjoy lighting and power after a community solar charging system was installed in their island town two months after Typhoon Odette (international name Rai) devastated the island.
At the same time, residents of Suva, the capital of Fiji in the South Pacific, likewise received a similar set-up as Fijians trained by Supertyphoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) survivors assembled and installed their own system last week, a news release said.
Fiji and the Philippines continue to face storms supercharged by warming seas and creeping climate impacts, but the survivor communities are paying it forward by reaching out across the ocean to empower other survivors by lighting up communities across the Pacific.
Two solar charging systems were set up by the Solar Scholars’ initiative shortly after Yolanda slammed into the Philippines.
The modular power stations were the result of the Solar Scholars training in Tacloban, Leyte, and in Suva, Fiji, that was held online from February 22 to 24.
Community representatives from Samar and Leyte were supported by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC). They were trained by representatives from the climate group 350.org Pacific and the Christian organization Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC).
A 300-watt solar charging system set up in Suva was installed in the PCC head office for public use.
ICSC launched the Solar Scholars initiative in 2015 to enable community members, local government officials and civil society representatives to integrate renewable energy into disaster-risk reduction and community development programs, the news release said.
There are now over 400 Solar Scholars across the Philippines.
“We can accelerate the energy transition in more islands by building new and far more locally responsive renewable energy systems that are resilient to extreme weather events and which can be maintained by community members themselves, especially women,” said Arturo Tahup, ICSC associate for Community Resilience.
“Inaction is everyone’s adversary today as we face the rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a future where our communities can thrive despite the climate crisis,” Tahup said.
“Solar Scholars and community-led power systems help promote community leadership and ownership of accessible, affordable and sustainable renewable energy services. It’s been an unmistakable joy to witness frontline communities in the Philippines working to help enable their sisters and brothers in Fiji,” he added.
Besides online mentoring and live technical training sessions, community Solar Scholars prepared an instructional video by putting up a 200-watt solar charging system to help the Fijian participants.
Jude Capila Elona, a Solar Scholar and Yolanda survivor with a background in electrical engineering, helped assemble the 200-watt charging system, which was then turned over to residents of Limasawa Island.
Fourteen barangay officials and workers, including eight women, were trained to use and maintain the community solar charging system.
“These solar charging systems are of great help, especially for small communities and far flung areas lacking access to electricity. With this system, we now have access to electricity when the next storm hits,” said Marie Ann Dagohoy-Kangleon, head of Limasawa’s disaster risk reduction management office, during the turnover of the solar charging system in Barangay San Agustin last March 1and 2.
Image credits: Kathleen Lei Limayo, 350.org
