[geeks] $100 One Laptop Per Child - grist for the mill

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

On Sat, Nov 18, 2006 at 09:41:21PM -0600, Brian Dunbar wrote:
> It's getting there that is the problem.

Yes, and getting things there that need repeat deliveries, whether it's 
food, shelter parts, tools or teacher all cost money, time and effort.
 
> I've wondered if a part of the a solution for those places where those
> problems are endemic is a reliable power source.

A solution as in it will fix all of their problems, no. A solution as
in part of a much larger thing, yes. A foundation upon which other things
are built.


> Lacking electricity you burn your forests down to fuel your fires to
> cook with.  You have to go sleep at night at dusk.  And so on.

Assuming you have forests to burn down. 

> But it's hard to maintain a reliable electrical grid when the incentives
> to rip the infrastructure up overwhelm the ability of the locals to
> protect it.  Because of slavery, genocide, civil war and etc.
> 
> What - and I might be naive - those guys need is a reliable local power
> source that does not depend on vulnerable power lines or the cooperation
> of people hundreds of kilometers away to supply your power.

No, that's right on target.


> Okay, so I know this isn't 'the' solution but it could be 'a' solution.
>  I wonder if Solar Power Satellites could supply that need.

Possibly, but it's an awfully expensive way. For example lower cost systems
may be better at least at first. Passive solar systems would be a lot
cheaper if you could come up with something that was much cheaper than the
photovoltaic (solar cell) electrical systems.

Writing this jelled an idea. I'll have to look into it.

Geoff.
-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm at mendelson.com  N3OWJ/4X1GM
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