Small repairs, lasting power: tackling solar waste
UNSW Sydney
Key Facts:UNSW researchers are helping communities in the Pacific and Africa keep access to solar power.
An award-winning UNSW Sydney collaboration is helping remote communities keep their solar power working, while also tackling the waste left behind when repairable equipment breaks.
Recognised at last night’s Engagement Australia Excellence Awards, the team works across the Pacific and Africa, connecting local repair training with efforts to improve product design, spare parts and warranties.
In Vanuatu, researchers found around half the solar-powered freezers they examined were no longer working, putting households’ food storage and livelihoods at risk.
Graduates of the team’s repair training program have established local businesses and repair hubs and completed an estimated 200 repairs.
A UNSW multimedia feature (https://news.unsw.edu.au/en/small-repairs-lasting-power-tackling-solar-waste) includes video and images of the work.
Researchers Paul Munro and Shanil Samarakoon are available for interview on request.
Contact details:
Melissa Lyne, UNSW news & content