Here's a brief photo of us with the Cell leader of the Nyakeru site in Rushaki! Very promising site, both socially (very interested people) and technically (just under 3kW potential in the dry season).
Had a great turnout at the Energy-Luncheon Meeting on Tuesday, August 7th! The goal of the luncheon was to bring together people from various backgrounds (SMS, energy, water) in Rwanda and exchange ideas and lessons learned in their particular area of expertise. Planning ahead can be somewhat difficult in Rwanda and sometimes plans change last minute, so we were a bit skeptical about how many of the 20 confirmed attendees would make it. We were overjoyed by the response: 18 people came from 8 different organizations! The groups that presented were:
The woodland hotel provided an extensive lunch buffet for everyone, and after some introductions and food, each organization spoke for a few minutes to describe their work and share some insight about starting businesses in Rwanda. It was a great opportunity to encourage each other and for the student interns to ask questions and get some ideas from other young entrepreneurs and local businesses!
After the luncheon we (Josh, Kyle, Moses and Croix) sped around Kigali on motos looking for equipment and machining services for building a hydro system. Josh and Croix found an entire yard full of technicians with used electronics (capacitors, home-made or modified transformers) and welding machines. Kyle and Croix found an auto garage with a mill, lathe and some other tools. At the garage we spoke with Adam, a nice fellow who expressed interest in fabricating hydro turbines. We showed him a plan for making a Pelton turbine and to our surprise he said he could do it… and not only do it, but do it for a small fraction of the cost of other turbines we’ve seen made in east Africa! We might look into actually paying him for the turbine and then testing it out to see how much bang for the buck we get!!!
- EWSA: The company that works on the national energy grid in Rwanda. Talked about how they welcome any/all help in meeting the electric demand in the country.
- E.quinox: They develop solar charging kiosks, and are now working on a hydro charging kiosk
- Manna Energy: Clean water, biogas energy, and quite good at what they do (especially with carbon credits!),
- Great Lakes Energy: Solar energy, but they dabble in other realms of energy/heating as the opportunity arises,
- M.Ahwiii: Initially SMS app that allowed patients to remotely request medical appointments, but they’re taking on other mobile solutions as they come up,
- Turere Neza: Software that connects parents to children’s secondary school records via SMS,
- OSCA Connect: Provides farmers with weather updates/agricultural extension.
The woodland hotel provided an extensive lunch buffet for everyone, and after some introductions and food, each organization spoke for a few minutes to describe their work and share some insight about starting businesses in Rwanda. It was a great opportunity to encourage each other and for the student interns to ask questions and get some ideas from other young entrepreneurs and local businesses!
After the luncheon we (Josh, Kyle, Moses and Croix) sped around Kigali on motos looking for equipment and machining services for building a hydro system. Josh and Croix found an entire yard full of technicians with used electronics (capacitors, home-made or modified transformers) and welding machines. Kyle and Croix found an auto garage with a mill, lathe and some other tools. At the garage we spoke with Adam, a nice fellow who expressed interest in fabricating hydro turbines. We showed him a plan for making a Pelton turbine and to our surprise he said he could do it… and not only do it, but do it for a small fraction of the cost of other turbines we’ve seen made in east Africa! We might look into actually paying him for the turbine and then testing it out to see how much bang for the buck we get!!!
Josh & Kyle, UC Davis
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