Solar Power brings 16Mbps Broadband to Towns without Electricity

     White space networks have yet to revolutionize Internet access but they still have hope in creating a drastic impact in countries that have lack the consistency of Internet access. A new project of the power of white space networks is arising in Kenya as a solar-powered network brings Internet to people who aren't connected to an electrical power grid.
      The previous month, Microsoft, along with Kenyan government officials, deployed the network in various areas in Kenya. It is currently serving a health clinic in Burguret, a primary and secondary school in Male, a secondary school in Gakawa, and a library in Laikipia. The network is planned to be expanded to 20 other locations in the next coming months.
       Director of technology policy at Microsoft, Paul Garnett recalls that "down in the valley, nobody has electricity." However, some areas did have mobile Internet access, but "it's so expensive that nobody ever uses it," says Garnett. Electricity is not completely unavailable but it is said that it is scarce. For example, a school has electricity going into the principal's office but it is unavailable anywhere else.
       This is where solar power comes in; specifically, 4.5 kilowatt hours of energy per day are derived from 7 square-meter panels. "During the day the solar panel is providing enough to run the network and provide some charging capability, and then in evenings there is this battery backup that can continue to provide broadband access, plus you have excess capacity for overnight charging," Garnett said. "Think of the school scenario where you've got a computer lab that the kids can use during of the day, and drain down the batteries in the tablets during the day. And then in the evening you have a charging station where all the tablets are plugged in and can recharge overnight."

A Hospital Running on Solar Power?

       Have you ever heard of a hospital running on solar power technology? Well, if you haven't, there apparently is one in Haiti. It's called "Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais," known as HUM, and because of the generous donations from Boston-based nonprofit Partners in Health, it was made possible.

As you can see here, the roof of the hospital is entirely covered with solar panels in this newly constructed hospital, featuring a total of 300 beds for hospitality.

   It actually serves as a great benefit for Haiti, due to their instability when the power grid is concerned. In Mirebalais, a rural town in Haiti, it is claimed that power goes out on an average of 3 hours per day. Because of this dilemma, many patients, undergoing surgeries, can constantly be jeopardized as well as other tasks performed in hospitals. Thus, they decided to go solar as many corporations in other nations have.

      The hospital is officially opening in March but before their official opening, the solar panels on the rooftops have received 139 megawatt hours of electricity, which is enough to charge 22 million smartphones and offset 72 tons of coal. With this excess amount of electricity, it will be fed back to Haiti's national power grid, giving a much-needed boost to their power sources. Amazing on how solar panels can just make a huge impact for a nation, huh?

China's desperate need of cleaner energy

Children at school were being halted from outdoor activities and physical education for several days from massive amounts of smog shrouded across Beijing in January. Anything beyond this level is labeled as a critical state, endangering many lives of young children and adults. Severe crisis of air pollution could prong towards pollution mitigation in which taking 12,000 lives in just two weeks during the incident of, "London Fog" in 1952. The biggest source of the cause of air pollution in China are the cars that are being run on and off of dirty diesel fuel, which brings us closer to global warming inch by inch. We could make a difference in this world; it just takes determination and compassion towards the world we stand upon. Like what Morgan Freeman says, “In the harshest place on Earth, ... love finds a way.”

(Hospital admissions for respiratory complaints jumped 20%)

Beautiful world falling apart

     Natural disasters are often caused by large amounts of air pollution in a short period of time mostly in large cities. Many disasters are formed through natural or human-made chemicals called "smog," which are caused from the factories that manufactures products that undergo through an assembly line consisting of chemical, heat, and wastes, leaving the factory through open air vents and chimneys. This causes large amounts of pollution to our environment, which contaminates the rain to ozone layers uprising global warming. Car exhaust and fossil fuel combustion, as it occurs in motor vehicles, has been identified as the largest contributor to air pollution in the world.

     Air pollution also causes numerous health issues leading to many respiratory problems. The lungs of many lives throughout the world become coated with particular matter from excessive exposure to pollution. For example, many people who are already suffering from asthma or any other respiratory issues would have a harder time breathing when there are small particles of toxin and chemicals in the air. Long term exposure of pollution could lead to serious health issues such as emphysema or even cancer. It can especially be severe when exposed to young children as it has a higher chance upon causing  childhood  asthma and can lead to other serious  respiratory symptoms during adulthood.

Here's a video I found that brought my motivation to change this nation's viewpoint towards a new approach but most couldn't help but watch.