Renewable Energies for the Paez Indians: the Software behind the Hardware Ken Olson c.1992 Ken Olson The recent STI installation in Tierradentro, Columbia will improve health care and agricultural education for the Paez Indians. It is a pilot project. Hopefully, many more similar projects will follow. The Leapfrog Project Renewable energies can enable people like the Paez to "leapfrog" from their 19th century lifestyle directly into the 21st century. They have an opportunity to by-pass the fossil fuel era. They can improve their living conditions without harming the environment. What does it take to create such a project in a foreign land for a foreign culture? Let's look behind the scene. Many Questions How do we know PV technology and this application are appropriate for the Paez culture? How can they tell us? They donÕt know what the technologies are nor what can be done. How will the Paez understand and use the system? How will it be maintained and repaired? High technology is very foreign to the Paez culture. How do we know the system is appropriate for them? How will it be sustainable for the long term? The Human Connection The hardware is reliable. It is the best the U.S. industry has to offer. It has the potential to perform reliably for many years with minimum maintenance/repair and zero operating expense. But will it? The most vulnerable connection is not in the hardware. It is in the soft, human connection between the technology and its users. This connection can sustain the system for long service life or render it useless within months. How the technology will ultimately serve the people depends upon this human connection. The Software: A Model Process The installation in Tierradentro follows a development process which began one full year ago and will continue for years to come. STI's purpose is to improve this process; to create a model process. It will become a blueprint to be replicated many times over; in Tierradentro and beyond. The process integrates cultural awareness, needs assessment, technical design, financial resources, logistics, maintenance, and repair. Education of decision-makers, technicians and users is essential. These are the elements of the software. Intermediaries/Facilitators Working in a foreign land and with a distinctly different culture requires one or more interfaces. The development process is so multi- faceted it requires a wide variety of human resources. Without each these people, the project in Tierradentro could not have happened. The Paez Indians Ernesto Molcue?? is Governor of the Paez Reservation of Mosoco, Tierradentro, Columbia. The Paez are a well organized culture. Their government is autonomous from the Columbian government by agreement. The Paez are united in their struggle for social improvement. They are ready to embrace renewable energies. Ernesto Molcue's vision and leadership has played a formative role in Paez development. He officially received the PV system from STI on behalf of the Paez. The Cultural Connection Mauricio Puerta is an Anthropologist who has lived with the Paez for 20 years. He has been instrumental in giving direction to the Leapfrog Project. As an anthropologist with intimate understanding of the Paez, he helps to determine how renewable energies can best be incorporated into their culture. His personal connections to the highest levels of Paez Government, Colombian Government, media and financial resources gain support for the projectÕs success and future replication. Aprotec Jesus "Bijou" Gomez is an engineer, STI Associate and President of Aprotec, Inc., Cali, Colombia. Bijou is a graduate of STI's Photovoltaic, Micro Hydro, and Wind Power Programs. He is STI's chief liaison in Colombia. He facilitated establishment of STI's relationship with the Paez through Mauricio Puerta, gathered pertinent information and letters of endorsement for the project. Bijou performed the in-country needs assessment leading to definition of the project and arranged all in-country logistics for the on-site installation. He provided on-site user training to the Paez. Aprotec will provide the critical follow-up work on-site to ensure the system continues to perform reliably and that the Paez understand its proper use. Replicating the Process Renewable energies can serve people for many applications. There are many different technologies available; sun, wind, water. Each project has its own character, culture, needs, resources, technology and logistics. By replicating the software, rather than the hardware, we can derive an infinite number of solutions; each being uniquely appropriate for its users and their particular needs. Access Author: Ken Olson, Solar Technology Institute, POB 1115, Carbondale, Colorado 81623 USA 303-963-0715 FAX 303-963-3198