Team Fusion look for parts in Labasa / Photo by Vivek Datta
We finally arrive in Labasa, the town from which we will be making our way by boat to Vorovoro. After almost a week of travelling we are nearly there. Lassitude, hunger, and insouciance have set in. The sweltering heat propels us into a delirium. Where are we again? Why are we here? The endless journey has thus far obscured the raison d’être of the expedition: to build a solar-powered refrigeration system.
Labasa proves to be low on parts
We are coming to end of the journey and the start of the project. Unfortunately we hit a major snag. We meet with some of the Tribewanted guys who tell us that they have had difficulty in sourcing the materials we needed in Labasa. We are not surprised. For some reason, we had thought that Labasa was a big town. We were wrong. As such, it seems unlikely that high-pressure pipes or large volumes of ammonia would be up for grabs in the local stores. Nevertheless we plod along through the town to visit the hardware stores. It’s Easter Monday and the stores are closed. But at least we can familiarise ourselves with where everything is for when we return to the town on Wednesday. This means that it is no longer possible for us to make the solar-powered icemaker.
“If we were going to do this, it was going to be properly and safely or not at all. We make no apologies for that.”
“Wait a minute? Isn’t that a bit deafeatist?” we hear you say. “So they don’t have the exact material you have, can’t you use something else? Can’t you be a bit creative? Can you not just work with that they have in Labasa? I mean, surely they must have something?”. Well, technically we could use something else, but to forgo using high-pressure pipes is to court disaster. We need to make something that not only works, but is safe too. If the pipes we use cannot withstand the high pressures generated within, then the whole thing could blow to pieces. If we were going to do this, it was going to be properly and safely or not at all. We make no apologies for that.
The sustainability objective
Team Fusion & James discuss how to proceed / Photo by Vivek Datta
Perhaps some of the obsessive-compulsive neurotics amongst you will say, “Shouldn’t you have thought of this beforehand? Shouldn’t have you arranged to get the materials from elsewhere if you found out before they were not available in Labasa? Isn’t this just a case of shoddy planning foiling your project?”. Well, we were told that it should be fine to source all the materials in Labasa. We didn’t know any better. And as for getting materials from elsewhere (e.g. UK, Australia etc.), yes we could have done that, but it is important that the system is both sustainable (i.e. it keeps on going long after we have gone) and replicable (i.e. that the locals can take the concept and design and reproduce it easily). If we used materials from abroad then it would mean that if something went wrong with the system or a part needed replacing, it would likewise have to be procured from abroad. It would also mean that it would be more difficult for it to be replicated easily. We also feel we have a duty to benefit to local economy and this means purchasing our materials in Fiji and not elsewhere.
Inspired to innovate
We take the boat over to Vorovoro, and whilst enjoying the stunning views and looking out for sharks, we entertain our musings and machinations of alternative plans. It is not until we get there that we can decide what it is that really needs to be done.
It is when we arrive on the island and our given a tour that inspiration hits. Despite being surrounded by it, water is limited and rationed during the dry season. It is reminiscent of the lines of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:
“Water, water everywhere, And all the boards did shrink.
Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.”
Dinusha with Tui Mali / Photo by Vivek Datta
Thus we decide on building a solar-powered desalination system. Desalination is the process of removing salt and other impurities from sea water. Our system would not render the water drinkable, however it would provide water that was available for showers, washing up dishes, washing clothes, and watering plants, and put an end to the restrictions on use of water on the island during the dry season. Incidentally, it was the Greek philosopher Aristotle who first suggested the utility of desalination. It seems highly appropriate that thousands of years later two (and a half) Greeks should travel across the globe to implement this idea to benefit Vorovoro. Far from being a second-rate plan, we believe that this system will be an even more significant development than an icemaker.
Further information
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Plans change & Vorovoro gets a solar-powered desalinator
Team Fusion look for parts in Labasa / Photo by Vivek Datta
We finally arrive in Labasa, the town from which we will be making our way by boat to Vorovoro. After almost a week of travelling we are nearly there. Lassitude, hunger, and insouciance have set in. The sweltering heat propels us into a delirium. Where are we again? Why are we here? The endless journey has thus far obscured the raison d’être of the expedition: to build a solar-powered refrigeration system.
Labasa proves to be low on parts
We are coming to end of the journey and the start of the project. Unfortunately we hit a major snag. We meet with some of the Tribewanted guys who tell us that they have had difficulty in sourcing the materials we needed in Labasa. We are not surprised. For some reason, we had thought that Labasa was a big town. We were wrong. As such, it seems unlikely that high-pressure pipes or large volumes of ammonia would be up for grabs in the local stores. Nevertheless we plod along through the town to visit the hardware stores. It’s Easter Monday and the stores are closed. But at least we can familiarise ourselves with where everything is for when we return to the town on Wednesday. This means that it is no longer possible for us to make the solar-powered icemaker.
“Wait a minute? Isn’t that a bit deafeatist?” we hear you say. “So they don’t have the exact material you have, can’t you use something else? Can’t you be a bit creative? Can you not just work with that they have in Labasa? I mean, surely they must have something?”. Well, technically we could use something else, but to forgo using high-pressure pipes is to court disaster. We need to make something that not only works, but is safe too. If the pipes we use cannot withstand the high pressures generated within, then the whole thing could blow to pieces. If we were going to do this, it was going to be properly and safely or not at all. We make no apologies for that.
The sustainability objective
Team Fusion & James discuss how to proceed / Photo by Vivek Datta
Perhaps some of the obsessive-compulsive neurotics amongst you will say, “Shouldn’t you have thought of this beforehand? Shouldn’t have you arranged to get the materials from elsewhere if you found out before they were not available in Labasa? Isn’t this just a case of shoddy planning foiling your project?”. Well, we were told that it should be fine to source all the materials in Labasa. We didn’t know any better. And as for getting materials from elsewhere (e.g. UK, Australia etc.), yes we could have done that, but it is important that the system is both sustainable (i.e. it keeps on going long after we have gone) and replicable (i.e. that the locals can take the concept and design and reproduce it easily). If we used materials from abroad then it would mean that if something went wrong with the system or a part needed replacing, it would likewise have to be procured from abroad. It would also mean that it would be more difficult for it to be replicated easily. We also feel we have a duty to benefit to local economy and this means purchasing our materials in Fiji and not elsewhere.
Inspired to innovate
We take the boat over to Vorovoro, and whilst enjoying the stunning views and looking out for sharks, we entertain our musings and machinations of alternative plans. It is not until we get there that we can decide what it is that really needs to be done.
It is when we arrive on the island and our given a tour that inspiration hits. Despite being surrounded by it, water is limited and rationed during the dry season. It is reminiscent of the lines of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:
Dinusha with Tui Mali / Photo by Vivek Datta
Thus we decide on building a solar-powered desalination system. Desalination is the process of removing salt and other impurities from sea water. Our system would not render the water drinkable, however it would provide water that was available for showers, washing up dishes, washing clothes, and watering plants, and put an end to the restrictions on use of water on the island during the dry season. Incidentally, it was the Greek philosopher Aristotle who first suggested the utility of desalination. It seems highly appropriate that thousands of years later two (and a half) Greeks should travel across the globe to implement this idea to benefit Vorovoro. Far from being a second-rate plan, we believe that this system will be an even more significant development than an icemaker.
Further information
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