Solar energy powering recovery efforts in Haiti

Haiti Earthquake

Aside from the horrific human casualties from the earthquake that struck the small island of Haiti 11 days ago, there has been a tremendous amount of damage caused to the island's infrastructure.

Last week's quake cut electricity to most of Haiti's capital. Without power, residents and aid workers are struggling to maintain basic communication, lighting and water purification systems.

What little power there is comes from antiquated gas powered generators, but diesel supplies have already started to dry up.

The humanitarian emergency has almost completely drained Haiti of its power infrastructure, but now a number of companies and aid agencies are using the most plentiful resource on the planet to begin powering this giant reconstruction effort - solar power.

Quick, easy and relatively inexpensive

The beauty of solar energy is that setups are quick, easy and relatively inexpensive when compared to the price of rebuilding a city's (or small country's) electricity grid. Alan Doyle, a science editor at MSNBC, recently reported how can solar be incredibly robust. He says that a single solar water purification system, recovered from the rubble by the Red Cross, is now purifying 30,000 gallons (over 110,000 liters) of water a day, as reported by WorldChanging.com.

Everything from solar powered lights to solar powered ovens are being deployed to the country. In Croix-des-Bouquets, a solar installation from Worldwater and Solar Technologies is now providing power to a school working as an aid center, as told by InHabitat.com.

In the spirit of the recovery efforts companies such as Solarworld are donating donating solar equipment. Solarworld itself has donated between 10 and 20 water purification systems which should be enough to produce clean, safe drinking water for almost 200,000 people.

Renewable energy not new to Haiti

This absolutely vital for both hydrating the survivors and those helping with the recover, but also for preventing the spread of water-bourne disease.

Sol Inc, a US-based solar street lighting company, has sent a first shipment of lights for roadways, food distribution, and triage sites. This has also become crucial as hospitals move outside with doctors performers surgical procedures under street lights, and search and rescue missions are being carried out day and night.

Renewable energy is far from a new idea in Haiti but unfortunately its true value has revealed itself in the aftermath of such a damaging natural disaster.

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