The “Power for Peace”
Long
Term Sustainable Economic and Environmental Development
An
Antidote for Emergency Response and Disaster Recovery
In
most societies there is a concentrated and focused effort to deal
with disasters once there is extreme loss of life, property, and
infrastructure. While these efforts must and will continue, it is no
longer acceptable to rely on a response after the fact. We have the
tools to begin implementing measures that ensure a safer and more
effective recovery from the worst natural disasters while creating an
environmentally responsible way of living for millions of people
around the world. The answers lie in the creative use of nature’s
own renewable resources. Disaster zones and remote villages have
much in common. There is little to no infrastructure, insufficient
power sources, and clean water is scarce. “Power for Peace” is a
program designed to provide effective services in disaster recovery
effort. More than recovery it sponsors life and health supporting
programs in underserved areas around the world.
The
ability to respond to natural or man-made disasters has been
challenged many times in the first 10 years of this millennium.
Whether a terrorist attack in New York City, cyclones and tsunamis in
Asia, hurricanes in the Gulf coast of the United States, severe
flooding in China and Bangladesh, or earthquakes in Haiti, Pakistan,
Turkey, and Taiwan, current events are proving that weather and
made-made disasters will continue. The United States Geologic Survey
graph shown below indicates that the more destructive Category 6-8
earthquakes are happening more frequently in this new millennium than
over the past 100 years. For the purpose of this document, the
causes of these tragic events are not the issue.
In
many such events large numbers of people are killed and injured in
the initial occurrence. Most of the existing infrastructure is
either destroyed or severely damaged. There is no power, fuel is
scarce, and any available water is usually contaminated. The longer
survivors are without drinkable water, basic food, medical attention,
power, and adequate shelter, the more people die.
The
ability of governments, companies, organizations, communities, and
individuals to respond in times of crisis is only part of the story.
Needed are sustainable development programs that position reliable
and effective products and services where they can be accessed when
needed. Such services include:
Solar
powered water purification and desalination
Emergency
food sources
Portable
housing and shelters
Medical
supplies and triage facilities
Building
materials
Alternative
energy power production equipment
Sanitation
facilities
Alternative
energy powered telecommunications systems
The
two things that make all the services come together are power and
communications. Recovery efforts can begin as soon as it is safe to
deploy with these two basic requirements met.
As
recent mass casualty disasters demonstrate, large geographic regions
are being affected. By United Nations estimates, 195 of the largest
population centers around the globe are located in extreme
geologically unstable and severe weather patterned locations. The
initial response when a disaster occurs is centered on locations
where supplies can be delivered and distributed efficiently and
affectively. The difficulties are compounded when the response is
extended to the outer reaches of the affected areas. Fuel supplies
are scarce. Bottled water, food, and blankets can be delivered by
air drops. As the recovery efforts expand geographically the
greatest challenges to address human needs are directly impacted by
the lack of: sustainable power; effective available sources of clean
water, and communications. It is these least populated remote areas
where renewable energy power sources and a properly designed
communications infrastructure should be part of normal everyday life.
Sustainable
Power:
Solar and wind powered systems, designed to perform very specific
applications, can be initially installed as part of the basic
infrastructure. These systems are deployed one time and with minimum
maintenance can operate indefinitely. Such systems range in size and
capability. These may produce enough power to charge cell phones and
satellite battery chargers. Large containerized systems have enough
power for command and control communications and various types of
medical equipment. Solar powered water purification and
desalination trailers can be positioned during fair weather
conditions for general civilian and military uses. During times of
distress such equipment can be placed in strategic locations to begin
purifying thousands of gallons of water daily. Rapidly deployed
communications can be established and remain operational for months
and years without logistics backup. Other solar and wind powered
applications include surveillance, crowd control, public address
systems, vaccine refrigeration, quarantine facilities, and publicly
accessible communication stations.
Communications:
One of the most difficult challenges to the world’s rapidly
expanding population is communications. The lack of infrastructure
in the rural areas is mirrored in the highly populated areas during a
disaster response effort. Lessons from the rural areas can be
utilized anywhere when the infrastructure is destroyed. During
disaster recovery the first concern is command and control
communications. The involvements of multi-national organizations
using non-compatible technologies without adequate infrastructure
make it difficult to plan an integrated response. Solar and wind
powered mobile command units with generator backup must be designed
for interoperability with multiple types of communications. These
include GSM cellular base stations, WiFi/MAX Internet service,
satellite links, and Meshed data networks. Small, deployable, self
powered tower systems can expand the reach of the command unit into
the toughest areas of a disaster zone that has no existing
infrastructure. These same systems can be used in remote areas where
renewable energy is the only way to provide power. As with command
and control communications systems these are dependable
communications in remote villages or squatters areas of large urban
cities.
Water:
There must be clean and accessible water. Water services can be
made available anywhere there is a proven source of water with mobile
water pumping and purification systems. These can be in place were
communities are expanding or deployed immediately where needed and
moved as requirements change. Solar and wind powered water
purification, desalination, and irrigation equipment provides water
resources months and years for sustainable development or initial
recovery. Purification rates range from 2,400 to over 100,000 gallons
daily.
“Applied
Renewable Energy”: The
creative use of renewable energy can ensure life sustaining services
when other power access has been disrupted or is never available. It
can provide primary power in areas where grid-based power is
unavailable. Renewable energy is the answer during disaster recovery
operations or in everyday life. Services can include, but are not
limited to: pumping water; providing cell phone coverage; Internet
access; wireless video surveillance; traffic control signals; street
lighting; food preparation; medical services; and more. The ability
to use the natural elements to power critical applications is the way
to live everyday.
Powering
our Future - Power for Peace
Renewable
energy can be a catalyst for creating jobs, spurring economic
development, and changing lives. It can provide critical human
services such as clean water and sanitation. Renewable powered
communications can deliver the Internet, cell phones, and educational
services to areas that have been ravaged by a natural disaster or
“yet to be developed” communities around the world. A “grid”
based economy requires huge financing, much equipment, expensive
maintenance schemes, years to develop, and vulnerabilities to natural
disasters and terrorist attacks. The Power for Peace Program is
designed to work within local communities to provide basic human
needs while establishing a foundation for entrepreneurialism within
the population. Small businesses providing GSM pre-paid cell phone
services, Internet services, irrigated food production, community
lighting, and refrigeration services all combine to create a
micro-economy that helps people build a healthy “connected”
environment for their children and families.
The
Program begins with power for clean water, sanitation,
communications, and a base for education and health care services.
Being able to access basic education and information about health
care enables unconnected villages to know what services might be
available and where to get them. Leaning how to build and assemble
their own small solar and wind powered systems gives local citizens a
new technology base to improve their communities, creates new jobs,
expands technical expertise among the general population, and
provides the “power” to create.
“Village
Assembled” Program -
Part of the educational program is called “Village Assembled”
(VA). Tools and training provide the springboard for small groups to
assemble all power related equipment while providing long-term
maintenance. “Kitted” products from around the world are
available for assembly and distribution within the community and
nearby areas. Such products include: water pumps; solar powered
vaccine refrigerators; portable lighting; charging stations for cell
phones, PDAs, and flashlights; and low-voltage power control
sub-assemblies for use with wind and power generation and
distribution systems. These will be made available based on the
needs and capabilities of the village. Village Assembled products
will be made available through channels set up within the
participating communities such as local government offices, farmers
cooperatives, K-12 schools, communities of faith, technical colleges,
banks, merchants, among other distribution networks. Where possible,
micro-loan funds will be available at ‘normal’ rates so the
systems can be readily used. These outlets will be advertised
through the “PCP” outreach.
“Public
Communication Portal” (PCP)
- Each program is initiated with a solar and wind powered
communication station. This may be located on top of a small village
shop, a school, town hall, or the local police station. It will
provide a single TRX GSM cell phone base station and a minimal
satellite backhaul to connect to the world. Villagers will be able
to obtain pre-paid SIM cards for use in a GSM phone. They may rent
or purchase a phone. They may send an SMS text message or even send
an email to an old friend or family member. They may transfer funds
or arrange a “micro-loan” through the PCP. These services are at
a minimal fee. Educational content will be distributed the local
schools through wireless connections to the satellite backhaul for
content distribution. The PCP is designed to provide self-sustaining
communications for as many as 5,000 people.
Funding
-
Power for Peace is not a free program (dependent solely on donations)
nor is it intended to be only a charity program for unconnected
communities and the 3.5 billion “underserved” around the globe.
Power for Peace is an extension of the renewable energy based
services that are becoming vital and mandatory for a nation’s
sustainable development and disaster recovery efforts in even the
most “developed” parts of the world. Earthquakes, hurricanes,
tornadoes, flooding, tsunamis, and volcanoes are increasing in
strength and frequency. Regardless of the reason or source,
renewable energy is now able to provide life sustaining services to
expanding urban and rural communities as well as meet the needs of
ravaged and recovering populations around the world. For the first
time in the history of the world entire nations can deliver power
inexpensively, directly, and with little maintenance to all of their
citizens regardless of socio-geo-eco-political circumstances or
affiliation.
The
lessons learned in disaster recovery must be applied in providing
sustainable economic, civil society, and economic development as well
as disaster preparation and mitigation. Un-connected and underserved
areas have one advantage. There is no “grid” and for
substandard shelters there is much less disaster liability. With
proper planning and renewable sources undeveloped and underserved
regions will be able to sustain much more devastation than the
developed world or grid-centric major population centers.
Therefor
worldwide disaster relief funding should be reviewed, appropriated,
and applied IN ADVANCE of such natural or man-made disasters as a
sustainable development program. The solar powered communications,
lighting, water pumping and purification, along with sanitation
systems should be part of normal operations in areas where natural
disasters occur on a regular basis, are predicted, or anticipated.
Solar and wind powered back-up power systems should be available in
protected environments. Mission critical emergency services should
be defined and planned based upon renewable natural power sources.
In the underserved and undeveloped areas Power for Peace can serve
that function.
The
program is not dependent upon disaster relief funding. Power for
Peace must be sustainable. A portion of the funding will come as
“micro-loan” funding from major financial institutions,
manufacturers, multinational organizations, private citizens,
communities of faith through the EmeraldPlanet
Foundation. The Foundation resources will be self-funding once
significant funds have been invested. The micro-loans will mature in
a five year span giving the small businesses time to grow. Other
directed fund raising projects may develop where successes are being
seen in the base programs.
Targeted funding projects make community power available to areas
that have never had basic services. The small businesses that are
generated, ensure the creation and sustainability of health care
services, educational opportunities, and a safer environment for
families to grow and participate.
Solar
powered street lights may help build and restore services where power
is unavailable. Many of these types of services may be deployed as
part of the sustainable development process or after a catastrophic
event. Regardless of the initial process, renewable energy is a
solution to critical power availability. This diffused, independent
based electric infrastructure will be compatible with renewable
natural resources around the world. The Power for Peace program
enables the present day unconnected, underserved, and under developed
areas of the world join the renewable energy power revolution and
control their own future economic destiny. We in the “developed”
world should be listening.
Created
and Proposed by:
Michael
G. Lee, Director
Business
& Product Development
MCO
Technology Inc.
208
Golden Oak Court
Virginia
Beach, VA 23452
Tel:
757-802-2378
Email:
mlee@mcotechnology.com
Web:
www.mcotechnoloy.com
Dr.
Samuel Lee Hancock, CM,
President
& Executive Director
EmeraldPlanet
Director
& Host
The
EmeraldPlanet TV
Program
Paul
Harris
Fellow (Double Sapphire)
& Member
Rotary
Club
of Washington, D.C.
United
Nations Official NGO Member
Representative
Collaboration
w/PanAmerican
PanAfrican Association (NGO)
1800
Connecticut
Avenue,
N.W.
Washington,
D.C. 20009 USA
Tel: 804-350-5473
Email:
Dr_Sam_Hancock@yahoo.com
Web:
www.emerald-planet.org
Skype:
emeraldplanet1