Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

These are large pipes that are used for sewer lines in the US.  The pipes have the ability to handle wet conditions, and can have a protective spray to handle the excessive heat that Haiti will put on it.  The covered bikeway in S. Korea appears to have used a PVC type system over their bikeway. These pipes would go into the ground into concrete, and then partially filled with concrete as well.  We will experiment first initially to see how well the system holds up to the stress on the island.  The solar panels would then be on top of the structure. PVC pipes offer an inexpensive alternative to steel and wood.  Also the light weight material will be easier to transport to the island.  It is also available in Haiti, so supply of the pipe will not be a major issue. Part of building this type of system is to get the biggest bang for the buck.  We can build a quality and innovative system that doesn't have to cost $80,000 per mile or more. Go Go...

While La Gonave doesn't have any power plants, the discussion of many is how to provide an island of over 100,000 people with adequate power.  Some suggest renewable energy, others say build fossil fuel plants. Renewable energy seems like a good choice due to the fuel source being free or virtually free.  Things like wind and solar rely on what La Gonave has plenty of.  Biofuel and Biomass plants will allow for plants that are grown to supply the power.  The big problem with renewable energy is that they don't harness all of the energy they product.  So in other words, solar and wind tend to not supply the full net of power.  You also face problems with mother nature.  The wind may not be at constant speed needed to make wind power viable.  There could be days or weeks where extreme cloud cover affects the effectiveness of solar.  While there are benefits of free or near free fuel, renewable energy isn't always dependable.  They, at t...

When looking over ideas to Gonave's future, and using natural energy (wind and solar) to power the island, there are other things that Gonave can do in the distant future.  I wrote last year about creating a power company called Gonave Power and Lights.  GPL could adopt some of the same things many American cities have done to conserve power.  Gonave stands at an advantage because it is just now beginning its journey into power consumption. If future development comes to fruition, then many homes will start using power and water unlike ever before on the island.  The extreme expense will limit the amount of infrastructure that can initially be developed.  Looking at Hurko Co. development ideas, one city block would be developed at a time, with each block packing in a couple of hundred people.  Not only does it shave off expensive infrastructure, but it makes ecological sense.  With the development, no large road networks need to be completed, the co...

Early on in my blog writing I mentioned building reservoirs to help with Gonave's water troubles.  Wells serve a small purpose but a larger more stable piece of infrastructure would be reservoirs.  Much of the rain that falls on Gonave isn't captured, and just runs into the ocean or absorbed into the soil.  Once absorbed, wells are usually dug by NGO's.  While this is a great thing, and we encourage it, building wells is places a bandaid on a bullet wound.  Reservoirs provide a stable source of water, which can be treated, and then supplied to nearby homes and factories.  Even building a 5 acre reservoir that are a few feet deep will provide a large source of water.  Water collected from homes, buildings, etc, can then be diverted in special channels to help fill up the reservoir.  Along with the water conservation efforts I mentioned in a previous post, water will be less of a concern and issue.  When you couple this with using natura...

Last year I wrote about ways to power the island, and some of it focused on Coal, Solar, or Wind power plants.  All of these types of plants have their advantages, and disadvantages, which I went over briefly. What is a simple and cheaper way?  Diesel Powered Generators.  Many third world nations use these systems as their only source of power, Nigeria comes to mind.  Using these systems work well when money and time are a major problem.  These plants run on diesel or gas, and can be expandable.  I am posting three videos about such systems.  I think this is something that Gonave and maybe even Haiti should consider to solve power issues.  This is a 13.2 MW power plant in Saudi Arabia that uses 4 engines. This is an animation of how a plant can be customized for the environment, and how the system can be expanded over time.  It talks about the type of engines possible. The last video is also an animation from a dif...