POWER UNITED
Past & Future Projects
VATU - 2kW Charging Station - March 2023
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
In 2023, Power United partnered with VATU, a local community and technology demonstration site, to build a solar power house and install a 2kW Goal Zero solar system. VATU serves as a hub for showcasing the transformative potential of renewable energy in rural settings, acting as both a model for sustainable development and a small business incubator.
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The project replaced kerosene lanterns with rechargeable LED lights, significantly improving safety and health by eliminating exposure to harmful fumes and reducing fire hazards. The solar power house is now operated as a community-run business, providing affordable recharging services for lights and devices. This empowers residents to embrace entrepreneurship, develop new skills, and gain hands-on experience in managing renewable energy technology.
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Beyond energy access, VATU’s role as a demonstration site inspires nearby communities to explore similar systems, creating a ripple effect of innovation and self-sufficiency. As an incubator, it fosters small business growth by providing a sustainable energy platform for future ventures, such as refrigeration for agricultural products or powering small machinery.
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This initiative not only promotes energy independence but also delivers enduring economic, social, and health benefits. By reducing reliance on costly and polluting fuels, the community retains more income while improving quality of life. VATU stands as a beacon of progress, proving how renewable energy can drive holistic development in underserved regions.
VATU - Solar Food Dehydrator - March 2023
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
Power united, students and staff at VATU worked together to build a solar thermal food dehydrator in their agriculture-based community. This project helps preserve the abundant crops they grow, extending their shelf life and reducing waste. By dehydrating their produce, the community now uses dried food to supplement student lunches. They also sell dehydrated food at the local market which generates income for the community while promoting island-food subsistence livelihood. The project fosters skill development and promotes self-reliance, strengthening the community’s connection to their edible natural resources.
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FUTURE PROJECT - FUNDING IN PROGRESS
Divit Rural Training Center - 3kW Solar Charging Station - November 2025
Visale, Solomon Islands
Divit Rural Training Center is located in the village of Visale in western Guadalcanal. With an enrollment of 30 female students, the school's training curriculum puts emphasis on community gardening, cooking, sewing, small animal farming, accounting and core knowledge subjects like Math & English. Graduates completing 2 year programs here ultimately achieve a diploma qualifying them for ongoing college enrollment and/or microfinancing options to start business ventures at the village scale. Powa Haus #2 has already been approved by administrators and shows promising signs of helping to solve lighting and communication device charging issues stemming from expensive unreliable diesel generator power.
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FUTURE PROJECT - FUNDING IN PROGRESS
San Isidoro Rural Training Center - 3kW Solar Charging Station - November 2025
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
San Isidoro Rural Training Care Center is Power United's only partnering school serving disabled students. The school community and facilities currently function at a grid-compromised location leaving no option for programs to run after dark without kerosene lanterns. Hosting Powa Haus #3 will mean cell phone and light charging is readily available leaving deaf, blind and mute staff and their students more options to function and support one another during day to day living. Installing a pathway lighting project and Wifi signal transmitter will be the capstone aspect of Power United's work at this special needs location.
