Vanuatu's First Solar Battery Village  

On November 17th, 2003, the people of Taloa Village, Nguna Island, became the first in Vanuatu to exclusively use solar batteries in all their small appliances. On November 18th, Mr. David Stein of Vanuatu Renewable Energy and Power Association ran an important battery workshop with the people of Taloa.  Villagers learned the dangers of throwing batteries into the environment and how to properly dispose of batteries.  A massive battery cleanup was also organized throughout the community. With prizes awarded to those who collected the most batteries, literally hundreds of kilos of rusting batteries were picked up from both the land and the sea.  

Project History:
In November of 2002, a team of MPA volunteers had conducted a battery-use survey. It was discovered that each household consumes an average of four batteries per week. They are used primarily for flashlights (torches), clocks, and radios. Given total island population, it was estimated that over 48,000 batteries are used annually on Nguna alone. Two battery sizes are used on Nguna: international standard AA and D. The average price of a single AA is 40 vatu while a D averages 100 vatu. Thus families commonly spend upwards of 300 vatu per week on batteries, while family incomes are rarely more than 1,500 vatu per week. Disposal methods identified in the survey: thrown in the sea (12%), in the bush (9%), with the remainder improperly discarded in shallow holes (83%).

The villagers involved in the marine protected area identified toxic battery waste as a significant issue affecting the marine environment. Locals noticed that certain areas of the reef were completely denuded of coral and the fish were for the most part absent. These areas corresponded with locales used to dump batteries after household use. The MPA staff with the help of a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer researched options for 1) reducing the village consumption of disposable batteries and 2) cleaning up the old dumping sites.

Project Objectives:

•  Relieve pressure on the environment

•  Eliminate the need to dispose of toxic batteries

•  Provide a readily available source of power for household appliances

•  Use sustainable and alternative energy technology

•  Relieve financial burdens placed on rural households

•  Support income-generating activity

•  Integrate national, local and international organizations for development

•  Lessen the likelihood of groundwater contamination

•  Strengthen a local island government

•  Ensure healthy natural resources for the future

•  Elevate overall quality of living

In an effort to reduce disposal and keep the reefs healthy, the MPA introduced the idea of rechargeable batteries. It started with the MPA using a small solar battery charging setup as a model. When villagers observed how easily and effectively the charger worked they asked if the project could not be done on a village level. As the MPA covers several villages on Nguna and Pele with a population of over 1,500 people, it was decided to start the project in three villages and expand if it seemed to be working well.

Project Financing:
Materials purchased for project implementation: one sixty-watt solar panel, one charge controller unit, 240 AA rechargeable batteries (260 vt each), 560 D rechargeable batteries (1050 vt each). The MPA encouraged several village-wide fundraisers to purchase materials. When village efforts were not enough, the MPA sought funds from locally-based funding agencies. Donors responded immediately to the MPA's requests and assisted in final implementation of the project.

Community in-kind contribution: 940,000 vatu(56%)
Non-State Actors Programme (European Union) contribution: 737,000 vatu (44%)
Total project cost: 1,677,000 vatu

Batteries are rented by villagers for a nominal fee, then returned for charging. A refund incentive is offered to encourage the return of flat batteries.

The income from the battery charging fees originally went to the MPA fund. This money was a principal source of income for the marine protected area to fund other conservation initiatives. In late 2005 the MPA handed management of the battery project over to the Taloa Village Council.

The effects of the project are widespread and apparent. Our large solar panel can charge thirty batteries in one day and now almost 90 percent of all batteries used in the three pilot villages are rechargeable. Families are able to save much of their income now that purchasing batteries from the stores has been nearly eliminated. With the additional income more children are attending school, household improvements such as water tanks/toilets are increasingly common, and villagers are able to purchase modern tools (bush knives, wheelbarrows, shovels) for work in the garden. Villagers have also noticed that fish and other sea-live have returned to the old reef dumping areas. Today, coral grows lushly around the islands. Fish have returned and the incidence of fish poisoning has dropped completely.

The MPA is grateful to the Non-State Actors Programme of the European Union for providing funding assistance, allowing the villagers of Nguna to implement a solution to what they realized were serious problems created by throwing dead batteries into the environment. 

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