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eng. alec gagneux (�development-dialoguer�)�������������� only if it produces more wisdom...�
promenade 31������������������������������������������������������������������� (e.f. schumacher: small is beautiful)
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solar- and other energies in egypt
(part 2)
work report from july 19. until august 18. 2000
by alec gagneux, ulog / globosol switzerland
1. summary:
the main aim of my second visit was, to complete (technically) all the work which got initiated 1999 (the report from 1999 is available upon request: price: $2.-). again a lot of information and experience was exchanged.
main
realizations:
v
the first scheffler solar community� kitchen (ssck) which can cook 300 meals a
day with two reflectors got inaugurated the 10. august 2000 at the el sherouk
farm in presence of the swiss ambassador. delicious food was cooked. now egypt
can test a technology which can offer work- opportunities to local
entrepreneurs as the entire installation is produced with out any additional
dependency from industrialized countries. the return on investment is
approximately 15 years due to very cheap gas prices. in india or nepal e.g. the
installation is already paid back after 3 years as the wood there became so
expensive! we will see, when egyptian decision makers want to use their free
sunshine at a larger scale. the quicker this takes place, the more it will
benefit people � not only in an economical way. the investment for one
scheffler-reflector is $ 1�000.-.
v a 160 liter solar hot water system (shws) is now also working very well. it benefits agriculture workers of the farm. as electricity is more expensive than gas, the �pure� economical attractivity of this simple system could lead to business activities soon. the investment for one shws is $ 250.-.
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2. the starting point after one year of absense:
the first scheffler reflector which got inaugurated 1999 was out of order: the clockwork did not work, mirrors were dirty. nobody was motivated to repair and maintain the installation. the second reflector was in the same position as i saw it last year. the entrepreneur who got trained for 10 weeks last year did not finish the promised work, but was not shy to ask for the rest of the money.
the solar hot water system was in the same position i left it behind last year.
3. aims and conditions:
with our partner dr. ghandour, managing director of the el sherouk farm, i first wanted to discuss and exchange the aims and conditions for the follow up activities. we agreed, that the inauguration shall be the starting point of a solar-based cooking for the engineers at the farm.
the hot water system shall be installed for the benefit of the ca. 110 farmers living 50 meters near the solar kitchen.
dr. ghandour agreed also to pay all the expenditures for the project and to contribute one part of my honorarium. this showed, that the el sherouk-management had a remarkable determination to invest in a technology (and in a way of living) which is not popular in egypt yet.
4. some actions:
as all the steel and the concrete work was already completed 1999 two mechanics and 10 field workers of the farm became my main working partners. it was important, to teach all the maintenance-work to the mechanics of the farm in order to make them as independent as possible. two cooks received practical training for efficient solar cooking.
� the first training took place by repairing/ maintaining the reflector installed 1999.
� as there is a lot of humidity during the night, the entire installation got repainted.
� additional mirrors with a good reflectivity had to be found in cairo.
�
the
secondary reflectors (under the cooking pot) were improved.
�
one
scheffler cooker was equipped with the newest mechanical clockwork. the other
reflector is now equipped with a�
photovoltaic tracking system.
� one of the shutters (controlling the power under the cooking pot) is a heat-exchanger,� �producing� hot water which is stored in an insulated tank (ca. 250 l) on the kitchen roof.
� the 160 liter solar hot water system had to be installed and connected on the roof of the agriculture workers-compound.
�
a
heat-storage cover got produced to reduce the heat-losses of the food e.g. for
people who want to eat late at night.
� with 8 agriculture-engineers a trip got organized to the organic farm �sekem�. after learning practically about alternatives to the �green revolution� the dialogue was very constructive. maybe it will be possible in the future, to reduce the imported harmful pesticides on el sherouk land.
� a plant, powerful against malaria, got introduced to the sekem staff. they try now to multiply the plant and dry the leaves of this artemisia from china, in order to reduce the cost of malaria treatment.
5. difficulties/ possibilities of sound solutions:
�
the
solar kitchen is just next to the houses where ca. 110 staff-members live. it
would be sound to use the kitchen also for these people. but the farm-
management explained me, that they can�t offer the food to these people yet, as
the global market of agriculture products pays very bad at the moment... the
ca. 50 engineers, living 1 km (!) away from the kitchen, have now to come to
the solar kitchen for eating.� before,
they got food in their house, they live in. logically they were not motivated
to change this comfortable way of life. if the engineers would have bicycles it
would be a bit easier to come to the solar kitchen. dr. ghandour wants to by 10
bikes for them. as energy (gas) and food is offered to the engineers, it is not
treated with respect. the gas stove is often not turned off after use. good
quality-food is thrown away, instead to reheat it for the next meal. my
suggestion is, to stop offering the energy to the engineers and to ask them for
a participation of e.g. 10% of the food expenditures. like this an other
awareness to food and energy can be generated.
� in the desert a lot of flies are bugging one. it became a habit of the population to use poison-sprays against these �enemies�. if poison is used in the kitchen, it is logical, that food, air and water get contaminated. the farm-management can reduce this, by not offering these sprays anymore. to the staff i tried to introduce waste management...quite difficult to separate plastic from food and from paper. food rests should be covered in the kitchen and buried (compost-system) then outside. we experienced much less flies that way, but the habits make changes difficult...
� to make the solar kitchen more attractive for the staff, i asked siemens solar, active in egypt, to sponsor a pv- solar system for the lightening of the kitchen at night. as many visitors will come to visit the scheffler kitchen, it would be a good advertisement also for siemens to sponsor this idea.
�
family
planning and aids-prevention is an essential part of any project caring for
people, for sustainability. a visit at the office of the great imam sheik
mohammed tantauwi showed, that preventing aids and unwanted pregnancies -
before the first sexual experience - is compatible with the islamic tradition.
the office promised me an official paper, which supports the preventive
measures in this delicate field.
� with interested people i exchanged information about �globalization�, unfair money-systems and other dangers, which are exploiting humans and nature in a way which has never been known before.
6. chances for a sustainable future:
� the first scheffler solar community kitchen is now working very well. the staff knows, how to use it, how to maintain it and how to repair it. if the kitchen is used daily, then it can become one of the symbols of intelligent energy management in egypt.
� i hope, that the management of el sherouk will find ways, to use the full capacity of the kitchen (cooking also for the 110 staff-members) as soon as possible.
� the dialogue with people of organic farms like e.g. sekem or icipe can help to reduce the dependency of industrialized pesticides and fertilizers.
� the first step into solar-business could be done with the local production of the solar hot water system as the return on investment for this simple collector is less than 10 years.
� it is in the hands of all decision-makers, to integrate a dignified family-planning program (a human right since 1968) into business-activities, spiritual happenings etc. in order to prevent as much as possible further unnecessary suffering due to water-shortage, land-shortage, famine, violence � war.
� i hope, that egypt will investigate seriously contracts formulated by industrialized countries, wto and others in order to keep as much independency as possible.
7. contacts,� links:
� el sherouk farm: dr. adel el ghandour/ ghandour@brainy1.ie-eg.com/ 012-214 00 31
� sekem: mr. klaus merckens/ ebda@sekem.com/ 012- 323 87 59
� icipe (the international centre for insect physiology and ecology in nairobi): dr. hans herren/ icipe@icipe.org / www.icipe.org
� fairer monetary systems: www.translation.net/money
