Solar Power and Regenerative Agriculture in Burma

In June 2014 Solar Roots went down to the Bogalay region of Lower Burma to install a solar system for the Mangrove Services Network. I was accompanied by two students from UC Berkeley, who had come to work with Solar Roots as volunteers. Arriving at Bogalay township, we made last minute puchases of materials before setting off by boat to Mangrove Island, which is located 45 minutes south of town, in the middle of the Bogalay River.

The island is about 30 acres in extent, but only 2 acres are actually solid ground above water level, and those were created by bringing in sand and tamping it into place! The rest of the island is made up of mangrove forest, some of it planted by Mangrove Service Network (MSN) to select the best species for re-establishing the native trees. Mangroves have been devastated in recent years, by people establishing shrimp farms and converting the trees into charcoal for the urban market. MSN labors mightily to replant the mangroves and help local people develop alternative sources of livelihood. Here is their website:http://mangroveservicenetwork.org/.

MSN uses the island as a research center and training facility, holding about a dozen trainings per year. Before we arrived, power was provided by a large diesel generator, which was extremely expensive to operate, due to the remoteness of the site. I proposed to MSN that we install a hybrid solar/ generator system, so that they would always have sufficient power, particularly when there was a long training or in the middle of rainy season. During our time on the island, rainy season was just beginning, and daily downpours with thunder and lightining were the norm. At the end of the work day, we three Solar Roots folks would bathe in the river, often in lashing rain and keeping an eye out for roving crocodiles!

With the two permanent staff who live on the island and maintain the facility, plus several other MSN staff, we installed 4  x 80W solar panels, a 150Ahr battery and a 1,500W inverter. The installation included one of my favorite solar devices, which is a manual tracker that allows the user to turn the panels by hand, following the sun during the day. This can add another 20-30% of solar production which is especially useful during rainy season. The solar system will provide enough power for lights, water pump and the occasional video during the seven months of dry season, but should be supplemented by the generator during the rainy season.

After four days of cooperative work between the locals and the Solar Roots team, we had installed a robust system that should provide power in all seasons. I'm sure I will return to work with MSN - they have an interesting rice husk-burning kiln that is used to fire their ceramic stoves at another livelihood project. However, I'll try to schedule it outside of rainy season!