We have got the following feedback from workshop participants. Take a look at them, you can use them as a start up to bring ideas in our Wednesday's meeting.
1. Regarding the Project plan.
Clearly explained
Not much detail on the plan - [I think this is regarding to the way we present our Plan in the workshop]
A timeline /workplan/ achievements
A bit expensive
Interesting plan
The presentation was clear and sensible
Remember on your own project and not the final outcome and implementation phase
Well presented and good slides
2. Actual Workshop
Easy not too much details, possible very usefull for your work
Good method and organization
Members were aware of what they needed from us
very good
It was nice to use the methods used in class (participatory) + a feel of the panel
Great facilitation, you gave the instructions and I think we got a good idea of the project in general
They kept it simple - which is great. Great facilitator - very receptive *Think group dynamism
Hopefully it was useful for you, quite hard questions
First of all, I am happy to notice that we are finally consentrating on the actual outcome of our project, to "phase I".
So after our tutorial meeting and visit in NSN's SEC, it's now even more sure that the DESIGN is the key issue; how innovative is our end product and what can be gained by it. On the other hand, we must remember that our "customer" is NSN, not an NGO... So our project differs somewhat from those by Winrock etc. I hope we are able to present the uniques of our project also in tomorrows workshop. Because in order to achieve all those goals defined in previous writing, we really have to be able to present our project right and ask right questions from our audience...
From the workshop we should focus on getting important suggestions, preferably a Design which is easy, flexible and feasible. I underline, the idea that there may be architects, artists or those interested in design from the workshop participants. After the workshop, I hope, we can get the following. 1. A flexible design suggestion, which is easy to install and also modular(scalable) for usage. 2. Or design considerations in remote communities,like the available materials, cultures, lifestyles... etc, in case we forget to address. 3. The contribution of stakeholders to our project. 4. The possible interests of other aid organization towards our product, and how we make our product suitable for their interests. 5. Alternative solutions for secondary services, in case we havent yet considered them. For instance, if the secondary services, like water purification, ..., can be solved easily and with less cost, we can manage filtering them out. 6. How we can prepare our manual suitable for end users with no technical background about our product. We may get some standard guideline to prepare such manuals, or companies with similar product. -------------->
'Sustainable Rural Development through Solar Power and Telecommunications'
I came across this report about a similar project in Guatemala, which is led by WINROCK & USAID. Although they are using the classic solar panels, most of the ideas behind the project are pretty much similar to our case.
The solution they opted for -
"Collaboration with local NGO to bring energy services to community, based on community’s identified prioritized demand and available resources."
The results achieved -
Lighting for home, school and clinic applications, allowing for higher education through distance learning and refrigeration of vaccines;
community training and education;
acquisition of a solar-powered cell phone for income generation;
women incorporated into the Local Improvement Committee.
A number of parallels can be drawn from this project & hopefully it will strengthen our conviction regarding the feasibility of our project.
Our group had the privilege to visit the Nokia Siemens Networks Solution experience Center in Leppävaara. As a part of our project we are going to design and build a prototype. The prototype will become a part of the SEC exhibit. It was enlightening to see the exhibit space. We now have a better understanding of what our prototype should be like. Our groups workshop is coming up next monday. It will be interesting to hear what the other students think about the challenges we are going to present to them.
I guess we all got good inputs from yesterday's meeting with Ulla. The thing is, what we are meant to do during the lifetime of the project is getting even clearer & hopefully we have well grasped by now the central idea.
Among the comments given by her, the most important one was the need to segregate our short-term and long-term objectives. Accordingly, our revised version is expected to come out with a clear distinction between these different phases.
The other main points discussed were also quite useful, such as the contents of the final report and the different sources that can provide us with valuable inputs during our work (like Peter from Shalin).
The previous version of the project plan is now on Google Docs. Let's update our respective parts in accordance with the comments and get it ready for submission. Meanwhile, let's also build on what we started to discuss yesterday about the practical matters of the prototype and perhaps brainstorm each other on Monday (that is if time allows, since our priority for the day is preparation for the workshop!).
My fellow bloggers on this blog have found interesting technical solutions for solar power. They each have their place in the solar panel markets and rural service industry. What I have been trying to figure out is the investment systems that could be incorporated into rural communities in order to facilitate the system investments.
So far I have identified two possibilities. First there are a plethora of Aid organizations in developed countries. These organizations could be persuaded into investing in the rural communities if they receive clear documentation of need, usefulness and sustainability. The challenge is to identify the Aid organizations and set them up with suitable rural communities in order to facilitate the project. The facilitation work itself is also laborious.
Second there exist several microloan organizations aimed at reducing poverty and improving living conditions. Working with these organizations to provide electricity for rural communities can mitigate problems for telecom companies looking to invest in rural community GSM access points.
"When one thinks of solar panels, we imagine huge, black panels that stick out like a sore thumb.
SRS Energy has come up with an ingenious invention to combat this issue. The Solé Power Tiles™ are dark blue, and the contours match the undulations of typical clay roof tiles. The Solé Power Tile™ brings the luxurious style and classic durability of clay roofing into the modern era of sustainable energy."
Like I mentioned earlier, there is lots of going on with the development of solar panels. Here's one example:
In the 3rd generation of solar cells we have organic solar cells which are in a development phase. This is a technology which uses organic materials in the photoactive layer. Actually, 7 percent of the layers are construed by wet chemicals. Moreover, organic solar cells are much more powerful than contemporary silicon cells. They are more flexible, thinner, cheaper and can be produced rapidly. This makes it very suitable for pervasive use to power devices, sensors and other electrical appliances. These organic solar cells can in the near future substitute the use of cables and batteries.
"The Ericsson Village Solar Charger is built on standard components and can be used for all types of mobiles. It uses a 0.7 square metre solar panel connected to a rack where eight mobiles can be charged at the same time. A 12-volt lead-acid battery makes charging possible at night. The charger is capable of recharging at least 30 mobile phone batteries a day, all year round. It can also be used for other types of load, such as powering computers, lights or TV sets, says Ericsson."
The lecture(s) held on Monday were very interesting and personally I feel that it was easy to find links to our project:
1) Beyond vision - the lecturer started by mentioning that it is easier to work in group, which I agree as long as the group shares the same vision and goals. The examples represented here were quite different although there were many common factors. The most important was to hear how environmental aspects can be taken into account already in the planning phase by the architechs. Also the main concern about using renewable energy was important, although as the lecturer said; local people won't necessarely care how the energy is produced and besides they may have some prejuduces against some renewable energy forms, e.g. biogas. Getting the people being involved with project will make it possible that they adopt it "as their own", which will eventually mean that the project won't die away right after the financiers/developers leave.
2) Shalin ry - the group work given was most likely one of the challenging ones so far; 5 minutes time to find solutions how to solve the energy problems/issues of developing world! Yes, do that and get the Nobel prize... It was nice to hear something that supperted my own vision about development projects, one can try to do everything "by the books" but the reality can be totally different. The (mean of) communication is also something that one has to give specific attention. In here also it was mentioned that is good that end-users have some tangible to see, already in the early planning stage.
3) NSN - naturally it was interesting to hear from the Village Connection; how it has started, what different kind of phases there has been and what kind of problems. The part where Mika was talking about working with communities was closely related to our project, we also should solve a problem(s). Also, who is in our project the customer and customer's customer? What different needs they have and how those differ from each other?
I feel better if I post my own thoughts about the desing here, not just commenting the previous.
1) we shouldn't "get stuck" with the technical specifications; the truth is that flexible solar panels aren't that efficient at this point as the traditional ones (solar panels). But most likely the situation with this will change while the development of the manufacturing technology of FLEXIBLE panels proceeds. Personally I feel that we were instructed to build a panel of 150w in order to understand the scale of this project, approximately HOW big the flexible solar panel solution should be. 2) the biggest benefits that the FLEXIBLE solar panel have, are those when thinking about the logistics and installation. ESPECIALLY the installation is our concern; how to build a solar panel solution cost-effective way, from materials found from the area so that it is easily istalled to support the villages infrastucture.
3) Yes, the secondary services/solutions are vital. As can be seen what is really going on with the actual NSN Village Phone project is that they are adding secondary mobil services/solutions that are important to the villagers. Our services/solutions most likely should be something more concrete/tangible; meaning water purification, lighting solutions, etc...
4) as can see from the previous text by Tizuzu, there are already lot of models how to use FLEXIBLE solar panels in developed countries. BUT, how to build a solution that is not that expensive and can be used in developing countries?
The flexible solar pannel we saw last time, though I forget its name is similar to the following
Specifications:
Operating Voltage: 12V (25 W)
Voc: 16.5v
Operating Current: 1500 MA
Dimensions (Folded/Unfolded): 11 x 8.5 x .7 in / 41 x 22 in
Weight: 1.7 lbs
#1. The dimension is approximately 1.04 by 0.56 meters. If we need a 150W generator the smallest dimension possible is 6 pieces, in 2 by 3 arrangement = 2*1.04 by 3*0.56=2.08 by 1.68 including the inter panel gap inefficiency, this will have an area of approx. 2.10*1.70=3.57 meter sq. #2. If we are going to use it for secondary services, like electrifying water purifiers, we need additional panels. Typically Water purifying systems need 15 to 45W depending on their capacity, I have seen a sample water purifier with the following specifications Specification Power Consumption (Overall) (Watts)> 36/48 Type of Water Purifier >
What it means?
There are two types of water purifiers available: the storage type and the direct flow type.
How it works?
The storage type simply requires you to fill the top container of the purifier with water directly from the tap and then get water as and when required. The direct flow type does not require storing the water. One can directly open the tap and get filtered water.
Benefits
The Storage type of filter can be good for places facing water storages. The Direct Flow Type saves you the hassle of storing water.
Direct Flow Purification Stages >
What it means?
This refers to the total number of purification stages the water goes through.
Benefits
A higher number of purification stages would ensure safe drinking water.
5 Flow Rate (Litres/Minute) >0.416 The whole spec can be found at http://compareindia.in.com/specification/water-purifiers/hitech-ro-25-of/42991
Please visit the following solar purifier system, it gives us some technical insight. http://www.aqua-sun-intl.com/products/PWP-C5/PWP-C5.pdf My conclusion is that if we are going to add the socalled SECONDARY services, like charging mobile, water purifying .... though they can be used alternatively, the design of the generator should be dimensioned to consider these technical specs.
Please take a look at the following orientations and dimensions.
Today's lessons gave us a practical insight upon community projects. The first presentaion gave us some considerations in implementing community projects(especialy the involvement of the local people, the challenges associated with that, and how to deal with the neutral and probable loser stakeholders). I was interested by the project's approach to use the localy available materials as much as possible. It remind me the cobblestone road projects recently adopted in most Ethiopian towns. Apart from being easily adopted these projects help easy technology transfer. We can use this idea(of business model) in designing our solar generator. From Peter Kuria's presentation the main point is the 'weight' given to individuals. In most 3rd world communities, its better to show them some model individuals and create a 'peercompetition' than just injecting finance to community projects. Even though the financing may do some visible outputs, the continuity of the project is questioned when the finance stops. How could this individuals role be targeted? I think, we should make our solar generator design as much cheaper as affordable to individuals , at least in the long run. Lets try to search remote communities' social and economic conditions, that will help us to hit the ideal solution for them.
Everything was done alright with the project plan. Specially, what we did in commenting one anothers' contribution to Project Plan. Just after the Commenting Session, Manyazewal and I were editing the comments together. The googleDoc stuff worked well. It was easy to compile the group idea.
Now its time to think about our next move. The workshop, and ofcourse the actual project. Please keep searching ideas, and updating your views to others in the blog.
After our group meeting on Wednesday with our Mentor Lionel I feel we have really started to move forward in our project at great speed. There is still alot of work to be done, but I have at least a clearer view on what we will be doing in the project.
Working with Google Docs seems to work well. It is giving us the flexibility of creating a project plan with quick interaction between the whole group. We should discuss in our next meeting if you all feel this way or if it is hindering your focus. It is a great tool but only if the group agrees together.
Like I promised yesterday, here's the address to the NSN Unite pages. By browsing the pages you'll find some insight about what is happening in NSN - related to our project.
Personally I feel happy that now it finally seems like that after some "lapses" we are now finally in the same path, in the project definition and planning. At the moment I feel even more excited with the project than I thought in the beginning of the project! Like we discussed yesterday, we not only have to discover new aspects how to implement our new (revolutionary?) solar panel, but even more concentrate on the different stakeholders - how this kind development & business plan/prospect could be executed in real life, what effects it could have to different stakeholders...
Also I believe that now when we have the goals of the project clarified, it's much easier to compose a work plan that will help us throughout the project.
On a personal level, I believe that today’s meeting in the presence of Lionel has really helped us to grasp a better understanding (among ourselves) on the scope of the project. Apparently, the bigger picture of the project is to find feasible ways of setting up the flexible & robust solar panel and also to come up with innovative services that will add value to the solution and hence bring about meaningful changes in the lives of the remote villagers.
It was quite encouraging to observe that we are originating more innovative ideas while also refining the previously discussed concepts into more realistic approaches (such as the ‘village-hub’ proposal). The discussion about the stake-holder analysis was also very important. The relationship analysis we produced last time seems to be more detailed than is actually needed. Hence, as suggested during the meeting, it’ll be good to prepare the relationship analysis in a more generalized manner (villagers, funding organizations …).
The previous draft project plan looked ‘incomplete’ due to the fact that the breakdown was done based on the tips we found from the course info slide. Presently, we have the list of elements suggested in Paul’s lecture notes; so, we will produce a revised version in accordance with the list.
We have set timeframes for individual works and the revised document is planned to be ready for release by Friday.
Hello guys,
I am glad to see that your blog is alive and very active. Keep posting your thoughts.
I also remembered that your group meeting was set for Wednesday and NOT Tuesday as someone mentioned.
Clearly, i can see that you guys haven't been very successful in forging a clear path ahead for your project, hence an incomplete project plan. That is why i called you guys together after the last session and evidently, it became clear that the group members had different ideas on how to proceed.
The assignment is pretty clear and i asked from each of you during the first two sessions (also in the presence of Mika) if you all understood what was expected and you all seemed to be confident. Also, in Mika's last email to you, he specifically said:
"- This is the main point of work. System should be more than just Solar Cell."
So, whether you plan to use the system to power up a GSM base station as in the Village Connection Project, or for generating power used for lighting in the home, or for a water purification system, IT SHOULD HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONALITY ADDED TO IT!
Below are a couple of links and other applications i came accross that might give you an idea how to proceed:
Lumiwall is made up in a form wall and contain thin-film transparent solar panels sandwiched between pieces of glass. These construction permits to accumulate sun energy during the day and enjoy you soft-glowing illumination at night. Now this means are widely used in houses.
Solar Panel Ventilator like Vent Fan for House, Home, Roof, Shed, and Boat can easily install on ceiling, wall, car, and house. Moreover, such ventilators have no operating cost. They are free and easy. So one can enjoy fresh air at home.
So, now you need to figure out in you group what is the final product you want to have at the end of this process and then build your project plan around it. The first lecture of the course about project planning was not just for fun. There are clear guidelines on what should be included in your plan and some of those were again mentioned by Ulla during the last session. Make sure you go through it again and I hope you will come up with a better project plan when you meet tomorrow. I will be joining you guys in the meeting tomorrow.
I know you guys are capable of coming up with a great plan, so just try to focus. Good luck.
In addition, in Monday we decided that we could meet again on Wednesday (3.2.'10) in Maarintalo @ 14:30 (like last week). Seems like that there is misunderstanding within the group what ACTUALLY is our mission (and product as well). Personally I feel that there is no point of continuing to prepare our work plan, as our goal, stakeholders and purpose etc. of the whole project is not clear. Please, read thru those Paul's slides, and be ready to tell how YOU see the project.
Here's a part from the original project task description: "....the students are charged with designing a power generator for 150W power consumption by using a new form of solar panels which are flexible, robust and can be made for use in a variety of settings. The students are encouraged to be innovative and think of different approaches or concepts where such a product could serve a wide range of needs or applications in the remote areas of the world."
From what I observed in today’s lecture, which was in fact a continuation of the previous one, the focal point of the session was FACILITATION. The role of a facilitator was explained in detail at first and then, by using the different cases on which we are working on, we were given the task of acting like facilitators for the other groups on a number of topics.
We started by stating the goals expected from our project. We formulated individual dreams into common objectives by trying to analyze it from the perspectives of the various stake-holders. For example, what would be the objective of a telecom equipment manufacturer in the scope of our project?
Following this activity, two broad classes (objective clusters) emerged for the project. On one hand, the local community (the villagers & the small scale entrepreneurs) who stand to benefit from the technology (or solution) and on the other hand, the established business entities who arrive in search of expanding their businesses & thus increase their revenues (the local telecom operators, the telecom network solution/equipment providers and the consumer electronic vendors/retailers).
We also developed the means to attain these objectives. We then worked on indicators that help to monitor if the mentioned targets have been met. It was interesting to note that some of the indicators are qualitative where as some of them are quantitative. In the case of our project, by tracking the number of people who are connected in the village, it may be possible to measure the success achieved in terms of improving access to communication. But what about the benefits gained in terms of health care system & education system? How to measure improvements in standard of living?
Throughout these activities, we worked with visiting facilitators from other groups. I had the chance to work as facilitator with the ‘Reflecting Energy’ group while they were trying to come up with alternative strategies to realize the objectives they set. I observed that people tend to originate and share ideas when they are encouraged to speak and engage in dialogues. On the technical aspect of their work, it was interesting to observe that for some of the objectives, it was easier and rather straightforward to define alternatives to the primary means (for instance using other green technologies such as wind and mini-hydro instead of the solar reflector). In contrast, for some of the objectives it was a bit difficult to state the required alternatives.
Once again the session was quite interactive and a good platform for experience sharing.
Our second session with Dr. Paula Siitonen was a kind of unusual and, ofcourse,entertaining. I was facilitator in some group, and it was something demanding than just participation. At last I was thinking that, it would be better that rather than one person going to facilitate another project whom s/he is new for, why not one group member take his own project to be evaluated (or commented) by other groups? Actually there could be a variety of settings. The overall output is to encourage particpation within group members. The second part of the session was defining fundamental objectives, means to achieve the objectives, indicators and alternatives in case of failure, and presenting our objectives to the class. We had a better practical group dynamics than other classes. At last, we had a short meeting with our mentor Lionel Reya to discuss on the progress of our project plan. Due to differences among group members, on how to proceed we are going to revise our project plan. We just departed by fixing a meeting session on Tuesday at 2:30PM, at Maarintalo.
