The GOEDE-Foundation has reached an important milestone with its initiative “Solar Energy for Education”. The first photovoltaic off-grid systems, as well as solar modules and material for further stand-alone PV systems, have arrived in Vietnam after extensive preparations. These off-grid systems are intended for families living on islands in Halong Bay, one of the most popular regions of Vietnam.
With the initiative “Solar Energy for Education”, the Bavarian GOEDE-Foundation (part of the GOEDE Holding) campaigns for access to up-to-date learning opportunities for people in less developed regions of the world, via television and teaching DVDs driven by power grid-independent photovoltaic-(PV-) systems. The Foundation is currently funding the implementation of a project in Vietnam where, until recently, approximately 13 percent of the population lived without access to a power grid. The project in the province of Quang Ninh in Northern Vietnam has now reached an important milestone.
Ten off-grid PV systems are technically ready-to-operate
The transportation of ten PV stand-alone systems, as well as further modules and technical equipment, to Vietnam has successfully been completed. The large delivery has arrived on the island of Quan Lan (Van Don District), which is located 30 kilometers from the coast of Northern Vietnam in Halong Bay. The first ten PV systems are pre-assembled (i.e. only the modules, the solar regulator and the storage batteries need to be connected for commissioning). Afterwards they are ready for use. The remaining solar modules will be assembled to 90 further off-grid systems onsite and will be forwarded to communities on other small islands in the region. In order to spread the arrays and facilitate the organization onsite, the GOEDE-Foundation is working in collaboration with the Vietnamese Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post Harvest Technology.
Up-to-date learning opportunities solely without public power grid
The off-grid PV systems will be used in connection with conventional television-devices and DVD players, purchased on location with funds provided by the GOEDE-Foundation. Thanks to the photovoltaics-technique, TV and DVD players can be run for up to four hours a day. By using up-to-date teaching DVDs, both children and parents can benefit from the latest curricula and current teaching adaptions, even in such isolated areas.
“Education is the key to improve their personal life situation for people in less developed countries. With the GOEDE-Foundation I would like to assign resources of my Company Group to open up prospects for the future to people of such regions”, said Dr. Michael Goede, CEO of the GOEDE Holding and founder of the GOEDE-Foundation. Therefore the GOEDE-Foundation not only raises funds for the “Solar Energy for Education” initiative, but uses in-house technology: only modules produced by ANTARIS SOLAR, the photovoltaics division of the GOEDE Holding are used in the stand-alone PV systems.
“Halong Bay”/Vietnam – already a “Solar-Spot” in a James Bond-movie
Halong Bay and its islands, where the photovoltaic systems of the GOEDE-Foundation are to be sited, enjoy a spectacular panorama and are one of the the most popular tourist destinations. In 1994 the area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Bay became famous as a film location for the James Bond movie “The Man with the Golden Gun”. Moreover in the 007-adventure solar energy played an important role, albeit in a negative sense: Bond´s enemy (Scaramanga) had, as expected of a villain, a solar driven super weapon developed and based it on one of the islands.
