Climate change: NKONG HILL TOP facing the change

By MOFOR SAMUEL
The new epoch offers new challenges and new global problems, such as environmental catastrophes, exhaustion of resources, bloody conflicts and Transport, electric power, telecommunications and water and sanitation, and waste disposal are vital to development.
Yet performance is often poor, inadequate maintenance leads to premature deterioration of facilities and services frequently do not match users’ needs and willingness to pay. The potential for infrastructure services to contribute to poverty reduction and environmental improvement is often neglected.

Petroleum and natural gas are crucial at every step of modern agriculture from making fertilizers to the distribution of crops.

But how secure are these energy sources from which modern society draws its life and livelihood? Are there cleaner alternatives available?

NKONG HILL TOP ,a Common Initiative Group, in Buea-Cameroon, which has among its objectives, the improvement of rural livelihood through sustainable agriculture; and the promotion of community use of renewable energy and participation in environmental protection and GREEN STEP e.V., Germany, whose vision is to contribute to sustainable development and to empower individuals through the promotion of environmentally friendly technology at the grassroots level, say yes!

By jointly coming up with the Renewable Energy Project in Cameroon, with the aim to establish small renewable energy businesses which sell wind and / or water turbines to rural areas which are not connected to the national grid, the two organizations are just giving this year’s World Environment Day’s theme: ‘Your planet needs you, unite to combat climate change’, its rightful place.

The first locality to benefit from this project was M’mouck- Fosimondi in Alou Subdivision, Lebialem Division of the South West Region. A water turbine is currently supplying power to the Fon’s Palace and in Mbelenka; a wind turbine is providing energy for household consumption. Reacting to this new development, Dr. Fozao Kennedy, M’muock Development and Cultural Association (MUDECA) Coordinator of the M’mouck Project said that GREEN STEP e.V., has done a lot in the area as far as renewable energy and environmental issues are concerned.

Still concerning renewable energy, the first wind turbine in Buea was constructed and mounted on the campus of the National Advanced School of Public Works.

It was the culmination of a three week Renewable Energy Training Workshop on Wind Turbine Construction held at the National Advanced School of Public Works, organized by the two partners. The workshop was part of a one year project and aimed at training craftsmen and multipliers from NGOs as well as teachers in the construction of wind turbines. After the training, the two partners will make micro loans available for trainees to start businesses on wind turbine construction.

It should be noted that mankind had long harnessed the power of the wind to propel sailing ships; turning mills, and pump water. In recent years enthusiasm for wind power has swept the globe. High – tech wind mills now generate enough non polluting renewable power worldwide to provide electricity for 35 million people. Denmark already generates 20% of its electricity from wind power alone. Germany, Spain and India are rapidly adopting wind power capacity in the world. The United States currently has 13,000 wind mills generating electricity.

Some analysts claim that if all suitable sites were developed, that country could generate more than 20% of its current need from the wind.
Going by the inability of Aes Sonel to guarantee constant power supply, coupled with the intermittent power cuts, drying up of major dams due to little or no rain, load shedding and the fact that hydro electric power is non existent in most of rural communities, this initiative by both organizations to promote the use of renewable energy technology in rural areas of the South West Region is very much welcomed at this point in time. All one can ask the powers that be is to throw their full weight behind this laudable initiative.

According to technical explanation, the wind turbine is powered by the wind. The power of the wind makes the turbine to turn. The generator in the turbine will be turned and produces electricity. Electricity is stored in car batteries. One turbine can charge up to ten batteries per week depending on the wind speed / regularity of the wind. One car battery can run in one house hold for up to a week, powering bulbs, radio, mobile phone and other small applications. When battery is empty, it is recharged at the turbine.

Mention should also be made that the turbines are produced out of locally available materials such as: wood, iron, old car hub, magnets, copper wire, pipes and others. Materials to construct one wind turbine can cost a maximum of 200,000FCFA.

The environmental benefits of adopting cleaner energy sources is obvious. However, the cost of doing so on a large scale is likely to remain prohibitive.

Giving that impounded water to provide hydroelectricity frequently covers valuable, agriculturally productive, alluvial bottomland, and dams alter the existing plants, animals and microbes in the ecosystem, our best bet is the adoption of cleaner and renewable energy such as the one produced by the wind turbine.