Solar power lights up remote Hualien village

2015-05-04

A solar energy project started by Tainan Community University is delivering electricity to Datong Village in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County, bringing the remote Truku settlement into the 21st century.

Datong is home to indigenous Truku choosing to reside in the tribal homelands of Taroko Gorge. Unconnected to public utilities for decades, many of the tribe moved to more accessible locations after the 1980s.

“A total of 15 households still live in Skadang [Datong] as it is known in Truku,” an official from the region’s Sioulin Township said. “Due to limitations on construction as the settlement is part of Taroko National Park, roads and power lines never reached the community.”

This headscratching state of affairs was remedied by residents in collaboration with TCU, said Lin Yuan-li, leader of the project and a lecturer at the southern Taiwan-based university. “We raised NT$220,000 [US$7,182] for acquiring eight photovoltaic modules capable of providing 1,250 watts, or two to three days, of electricity for the village.”

According to Lin, TCU transported all the 70-kilogram solar power kits to the entrance of Taroko Gorge where five members of the tribe took possession, carting the equipment for four hours through the mountains to the community 1,000 meters above sea level.

“If the residents of Datong can adapt to solar power and electrical lighting, the project will proceed to the next phase,” Lin said. “We expect to install recyclable energy systems allowing the benefits of modern living without external interference.”

Moving beyond the creation of a self-sustaining power source, TCU plans to work with tribal elders in determining if the remote community wishes to adopt a model of tourism compatible with its culture and environment.

“Electricity not only provides convenience and comfort, it offers economic development opportunities,” Lin said. “At least the residents now have the ability to better shape their futures.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=229937&CtNode=413)