Monday, December 5, 2011

Electricity in Ecuador

While poking around the wide world web ahead of an upcoming trip to Ecuador, I found a slideshare showing ways electricity is used there. Love that the author shared the visual story.

She reports that a typical monthly power bill in the Amazon is $15 on an average salary of $250. I imagine that in a place with so much diversity in income and living conditions, averages just begin to shed light on how things are, yet they are still telling.

6 comments:

  1. Awesome! And more sharing... a friend is working on personal solar power in India. Please check it out... www.simpanetworks.com.

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  2. Tamara, what a great culture window into how another culture interacts with electricity. How they use it, what they have to do to use it, how much they pay, and how they pay. It all really highlights for me how much we take electricity for granted - including almost constant access to it, and a disconnection to the impacts of where it is generated.

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  3. Well, I feel like a spoiled rotten princess now. Good to be reminded of how easy things are here in the states, even for those who don't have much.
    I cannot wait to read about your experience in Ecuador!

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  4. Thanks for the comments.In the City CFL's and occupancy sensors that prevent wasted power are so normal that they just fade into the background. Out on the island, we had power from a diesel generator, but it wasn't kept on all the time. Living like that is not difficult, but it sure makes you appreciate the bright lights and hot water that we take for granted up north.

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  5. What I find fascinating is how adaptable we are - both how quickly we take things for granted and how when we have to do without, that too can become normal. I grew up off the grid, with battery powered flashlights (batteries got charged at G'ma and G'pa's house, which is also where we did laundry, and froze gallon jugs of water to put in the ice box) and kerosene lanterns. When I was seven we got solar panels, a twelve volt fridge and some lights. I like my hot showers and the ability to study late into the night with good light as much as the next person, but I know I could adapt if I needed to.
    Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

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  6. The idea of solar power has been around for some time, but it’s never been considered a practical means for satisfying the world’s energy needs. But as better methods for capturing and converting the sun’s rays into usable energy are developed, solar power is becoming widely adopted crossways many countries. diesel generator for sale.
    Here’s a look at a few countries making the most use of solar power.

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