Programs and Events

Fulbright scholar provides solar energy to impoverished community

September 7, 2006

Allison Silverman, a US Fulbright Scholar, presented her research September 7, 2006, to a crowd of over 100 academics, local supporters and solar energy fanatics at the Smithsonian Institute- Balboa. Her presentation, “Luz Buena para Loma Bonita: Electrificación Rural Usando Energía Solar en Panamá” (Good Light for Loma Bonita: Rural Electrification Using Solar Energy in Panama) focused on her pilot solar energy project for the rural community of Loma Bonita in the province of Coclé. She explained how she organized community acceptance of solar energy and then explained the logistics necessary to install and maintain the solar energy system. This program has been so successful that the design of the pilot project has been adopted by the Asociación de Becarios Fulbright- Panamá with the goal of replicating the project in other communities in the same area as Loma Bonita.

Silverman explained that one of the most important aspects of the project was creating the Community Committee for Electricity and Sustainable Development in Loma Bonita. This committee, made up of representatives from the entire community, is responsible for verifying that communal funds are used for the benefit of everyone and that the community is applying the solar electricity efficiently through the organization of various programs and community gatherings.

Silverman ended her presentation with words of hope. Although there are barriers to solar energy in Panama, the most obvious being the high prices of equipment and the lack of government support, she believes that there is great potential for the installation of solar energy in rural areas (and beyond). Solar energy provides an opportunity for communities to develop sustainable development and community empowerment projects in Panamá. Her pilot project has been successful in the short-term; and, she has created alliances with Fundación Natura to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project. They are currently looking for funding to carry out the project and have applied for a number of grants to start the process.

Allison Silverman has been featured twice in Panama’s leading broadsheet, La Prensa newspaper- a front page article on September 5, 2006 and in La Prensa’s Supplement Ellas on September 10, 2006.