We were thrilled to get these photos via email recently. It shows Madame Sikinala Ielemia, wife of Tuvalu Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia, watching a demonstration of a GEK Version 2.0 running on coconut shells.
The GEK was purchased and imported by the NGO Alofa Tuvalu, which is working to help the small Pacific Ocean atoll nation find a way to use locally available resources for energy, instead of importing petroleum.
And here’s a look at the fuel they were using. Coconut shells are common among the nine islands of Tuvalu, and properly gasified can release energy that can offset the need for some of those imports, with the added benefit of some leftover biochar which can be used to suppliment the staple root crops of their diet. As one of the world’s first countries likely to cease to exist unless we can stop the rising tides of climate change, Tuvalu has a pressing interest in these issues, and we’re happy to play a small role in helping. We’ll keep you posted on their progress
(A side note: a member of our team, Tom Price, was the first US journalist to report on Tuvalu’s fight with the rising tides of climate change, back in 2003. You can read some of his reporting here. )
