EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Engineer noted on global list of women for solar power work
PHATHINYA IAMTAN
THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- THAI engineer and social entrepreneur Salinee Tavaranan, who is among the BBC's prestigious list of 100 Women of 2014, has discovered a sustainable way for rural people to access solar-powered electricity via a hybrid business module that also creates a sense of ownership for solar panels.

"My time as an NGO activist taught me that dole-outs are not sustainable. I admit that I failed before I shifted to this 'hybrid' approach," said the 36-year-old founder and CEO of SunSawang Co, who was honoured last month by the BBC for alternative energy for sustainable development.

The Nation's Phathinya Iamtan did a 10-hour trip along dirt roads near the Myanmar border to Ban Nong Bua in Tak's Tha Song Yang to meet this remarkable woman and learn that a key to alternative energy use is a lifestyle that emphasises self-reliance.

The Phuket native said she studied mechanical engineering with a specialisation in energy at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University because she saw that everything in life involved energy.

After graduation, Salinee, seeing solar power as an unlimited power source with the least adverse impact on the environment, flew to the US to study solar energy engineering at the University of Massachusetts' Lowell campus. She returned to Thailand in 2005 with a master's degree to work for Border Green Energy Team (BGET), a non-government organisation with experience in training villagers to install and maintain renewable energy systems.

BGET's work focuses on water and solar alternative energy projects for Karen Thai villagers along the border while international organisations visit, study and sponsor the group via donations. Their main work is to maintain and repair solar panels that the government installed a decade ago for people without grid connections, and to install - upon request - solar panels for a household or a school in need.

"The solar panels are often damaged due to a lack of maintenance. Sometimes a battery runs out or a wire snaps, but people leave it like that. We then repair or install new panels for them for free.

"The problem repeats itself as villagers do not take care of the panels. Working as a NGO, everything is up to donations. When funds dry up, work is discontinued, so we feel disheartened because it is like we cannot keep our promise to villagers," she said.

"After solar panels were in place, children were happy to have electricity to read at night, but months later when they broke, they had to read by candlelight again. It made me feel like a failure," she said.

Learning from mistakes, Salinee started over with a new condition. The solar panels would not be free - the group would require people to pay a fee to ensure maintenance and repair for five years. This approach yielded better results, as villagers, using their own money, took better care of the equipment.

She decided to set up SunSawang as an NGO and business hybrid in 2012. The company comprised 10 staff and several rotating volunteers from various countries.

The change from a foundation to a company at first drew objections, but villagers softened to the idea when she explained the Bt7,500 annual fee covered the equipment plus regular maintenance. For the equivalent of Bt200-300 a month on candles, a home could run three lights, a water pump, a rice cooker and TV set. Those who couldn't afford that could opt for a solar-powered lantern that has a USB slot to charge a cellphone.

Her group also promotes sustainable lives via adobe houses and making fertiliser.

Salinee, who was also among three Asia-Pacific finalists for Cartier Women's Initiative Awards 2014, summed up a life lesson.

"If you want to succeed in something, you don't have to always be good at it. You have to be patient with what you are trying to do and accept the consequences. If you fail, you have to admit the failure and learn from it to begin again."

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Engineer-noted-on-global-list-of-women-for-solar-p-30247369.html


-- The Nation 2014-11-10

Wow! Well done Salinee Tavaranan.

The world needs more people like her, not just Thailand - but Thailand could be a bigger beneficiary of her work and the Government should support her efforts to help the rural underprivileged. A little smart thinking by them would suggest it takes a load off the public service? Can the interim Government rise to the challenge? Lets see some smart thinking!

Not so sure about this. the amounts she says does not add up. All of that would run for uner the 30 baht a month limit which means it would be free for those on the grid. If solar is that expensive someone is making a profit.

Nice to see Thais returning to their homeland and using their education here, instead of going for a fat paycheck abroad.

Strange choice of photograph. I guess it is used because is a story about a BBC list, but still......

Other than securing donations for anything Karen related, you certainly don't have to trek 10 hours out a dusty trail near Burma, to do this.

GO THAILAND!

Not so sure about this. the amounts she says does not add up. All of that would run for uner the 30 baht a month limit which means it would be free for those on the grid. If solar is that expensive someone is making a profit.

Could it possibly be that at present there are something like 300,000 households in Thailand without grid access.

For more info have a look at : http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.echocommunity.org/resource/collection/25F7955D-C19F-44AE-AA75-18A5DFC2B980/Solar_Power_for_Community_Development.pdf

Not so sure about this. the amounts she says does not add up. All of that would run for uner the 30 baht a month limit which means it would be free for those on the grid. If solar is that expensive someone is making a profit.

Could it possibly be that at present there are something like 300,000 households in Thailand without grid access.

For more info have a look at : http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.echocommunity.org/resource/collection/25F7955D-C19F-44AE-AA75-18A5DFC2B980/Solar_Power_for_Community_Development.pdf

And what would be the cost if they ran a proper diesel generator for the community.

Not so sure about this. the amounts she says does not add up. All of that would run for uner the 30 baht a month limit which means it would be free for those on the grid. If solar is that expensive someone is making a profit.

Could it possibly be that at present there are something like 300,000 households in Thailand without grid access.

For more info have a look at : http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.echocommunity.org/resource/collection/25F7955D-C19F-44AE-AA75-18A5DFC2B980/Solar_Power_for_Community_Development.pdf

And what would be the cost if they ran a proper diesel generator for the community.

You tell me.

Don't forget the ongoing costs of fuel, running power lines, carting fuel to remote places, a building to house the generator, someone to look the whole system.

Then if there is a problem with the generator everyone loses power whereas with solar cells each home is independent.

And ask the greenies about pollution when comparing each system.

When you have read the link I posted and done the comparison come back and let us know the result of your research.

Not so sure about this. the amounts she says does not add up. All of that would run for uner the 30 baht a month limit which means it would be free for those on the grid. If solar is that expensive someone is making a profit.

Could it possibly be that at present there are something like 300,000 households in Thailand without grid access.

For more info have a look at : http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.echocommunity.org/resource/collection/25F7955D-C19F-44AE-AA75-18A5DFC2B980/Solar_Power_for_Community_Development.pdf

And what would be the cost if they ran a proper diesel generator for the community.

Economically or Environmentally?

Congratulations Salinee Tavaranan!

Watch her here:

And here (with a moving tribute near the end of the clip):

Congratulations Salinee Tavaranan!

And here (with a moving tribute near the end of the clip):

Nice, thanks!

Salinee Tavaranan - find a way to help her and not reasons why not to help her!

Not so sure about this. the amounts she says does not add up. All of that would run for uner the 30 baht a month limit which means it would be free for those on the grid. If solar is that expensive someone is making a profit.

Could it possibly be that at present there are something like 300,000 households in Thailand without grid access.

For more info have a look at : http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.echocommunity.org/resource/collection/25F7955D-C19F-44AE-AA75-18A5DFC2B980/Solar_Power_for_Community_Development.pdf

And what would be the cost if they ran a proper diesel generator for the community.

Economically or Environmentally?

It is not for the poor low energy users to pay for the envrionment.

Salinee Tavaranan - find a way to help her and not reasons why not to help her!

It is not her that needs help.

She had an NGO and from that now a business. It is the people in the hills that need the help.

I wonder if the volunteers have work permits.

Congratulations Salinee Tavaranan!

Watch her here:

And here (with a moving tribute near the end of the clip):

Wonderful work! ...and the country starting this kind of project since the early 90's is Cuba. At the present there are 9000 small community and health centers running in solar power in remotes areas in Cuba.....most installed by school teachers and foreign volunteers, the same group that work later for the children's playground project since 2005....and in the Infomed project to bring equipments and medicines to Cuban hospitals....itsjustthekids.org

All that, even with all the restrictions and the embargo from the US Government...

It is very possible that Salinee was involved in those projects, but I do not remember her.

Anyway..Congrats Salinee!!

So she discovered the concept of a product maintenance contract.

So she discovered the concept of a product maintenance contract.

And she's cute as a button while doing it too.

"...flew to the US to study solar energy engineering at the University of Massachusetts' Lowell campus"

Not a top university. Not a top Solar Engineering program. Why not go to Germany?

They are #1 Solar panels use in the world.

How did they do it? "Government policy"

P.S. Does anyone in TV live "off the grid" in Thailand? 5555. I bet not. Thailand is First world country, with Quality McMansions.

Where I live, I have no electricy bill and only solar and wind power...

"...flew to the US to study solar energy engineering at the University of Massachusetts' Lowell campus"

Not a top university. Not a top Solar Engineering program. Why not go to Germany?

They are #1 Solar panels use in the world.

How did they do it? "Government policy"

P.S. Does anyone in TV live "off the grid" in Thailand? 5555. I bet not. Thailand is First world country, with Quality McMansions.

Where I live, I have no electricy bill and only solar and wind power...

Where do you live?