The Village Lighting Scheme aims to provide basic lighting for communities in Timor-Leste. The scheme known as “Lampu Diak”, will install Solar Photovoltaic (PV) powered lighting in households that are far from the power grid and unlikely to be connected soon.
The Alternative Technology Association (ATA) is seeking the assistance of Friendship Groups to identify and facilitate eligible Timorese communities in the formation of a committee to run the project.
The Village Lighting Scheme has four dimensions to its model.
- Community engagement and committee – The community needs to form a committee to run the project and all households should understand the project before agreeing to participate.
- Training of local technicians in the village – ATA will work with the committee and train local technicians to install and maintain the Lampu Diak.
- Technology – the system itself
- Maintenance fund – each household pays a monthly fee into a maintenance fund collected by the committee to pay for replacement parts and repairs by the local technicians to do these repairs.
The ATA met with the Director of Renewable Energy in Timor-Leste, Sr Luciano Hornay, in July this year. This meeting was organised by Vice Minister for Public Works, Communication and Transport, Sr Januario da Costa Pereira, and representatives from the electricity distributor, EDTL – and therefore had senior support in government.
The Director of Renewable Energy was aware of the work the ATA have done in Timor over the years, particularly in capacity building and training in solar energy. The ATA informed that it has funding to install up to 1000 domestic Village Lighting Systems (VLS) – in rural areas under the Google Impact Challenge grant.
As a result of the meeting, the ATA were provided with a list (see below) of Sucos to concentrate efforts on. From this list it is possible to identify 800 systems for installation where it is certain these areas will not receive grid power in the foreseeable future, are the most remote or expensive for the government to access and hence would wait the longest to receive government provided solar power. It also means it will not duplicate solar projects in areas already planned to receive solar by the government.
“The ATA does not work directly with Timorese communities – we work through Friendship Groups as they have the strongest understanding of the needs and relationships with the communities they represent.
“If your Friendship Group represents an area nominated above and the local community would be able to run a community managed domestic solar lighting project – please get in contact with the ATA. Please note that this list does not preclude the ATA from working with other areas to provide solar lighting.”
Olivia Laskowski, International Projects Manager for the ATA
You can contact Olivia Laskowski at…
Alternative Technology Association
Level 1, 39 Little Collins St,
Melbourne VIC 3000
Mob: +61 (0) 409 135 295
Ph. (03) 9631 5416 (Wed, Thurs)
olivia.laskowski@ata.org.au