Sustainable Energy Systems

Energy Explorer Mobile Energy Education Unit

Recently Rainbow Power Company received a call for help with a display microhydro generator. Indy Lingam, with his Mobile Energy Education Unit, needed something more sophisticated than his clear box with a pelton wheel (which was leaking) to demonstrate to schoolchildren how hydro energy works.

We modified one of our Rainbow Micro Hydro casings to suit and installed a small light to illuminate the pelton wheel as it spins the water around. Indy was delighted with the result and you can see it if you visit the "Energy Explorer" Mobile Energy Education Unit which is currently touring schools in Victoria. Indy will soon have his website up and running and will link to Rainbow Power Company's website.

Take a look at the infomation in this PDF file (1 page 328k)

In early February 2006, a close-knit team of keen and very experienced Australian sea kayakers will sail to Antarctica for ground-breaking 40-day expedition.

Laurie Geoghegan, Stuart Trueman, and Andrew McAuley have extensive experience with decades of sea kayaking, mountaineering and outdoor adventure between them.

They will disembark the yacht at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, and paddle their sea kayaks unsupported for over 1,000km south along the coast to Marguerite Bay – further south than any sea kayak in the world has ever been before. This challenging expedition on the world’s harshest continent requires an enormous amount of planning, preparation and training.

The Cure for Life Foundation™ was set up by world renowned, paediatric neurosurgeon, Dr Charles Teo.

Its role is to help fund advancements in the treatment of brain cancer, hopefully one day leading to a cure. The Cure for Life Foundation™ is also committed to providing ongoing support for vital research into the treatment of malignant and low-grade brain tumours. The main objective for 2005 is to raise $500,000 to support the new children’s brain tumour rehabilitation programme and fund vital research into the causes of brain tumours on a molecular basis.

This expedition plans to raise awareness of the Cure for Life Foundation's activities.

Rainbow Power Company provided a small solar panel and some advice to this intrepid team. Watch their website for developments. http://www.andrewmcauley.com/antarctica.html

NB: On 9/2/2007 Andrew McAuley went missing from his kayak in an attempt to kayak from Australia to New Zealand.
After searching about 25,000 square kilometres, authorities in New Zealand last night called (13/2/2007) off a hunt for McAuley, who has been missing since Friday evening when he issued a garbled radio message calling for help.
RPC wish the family and associates of Andrew their sympathay in this trying time.

He will circumnavigate Australia as a project to show, despite his handicap, what can be achieved and to encourage other wheelchair bound people to 'have a go'. The first leg of his remarkable 7,000 km voyage will be with 15 other yachts on the Variety West Coast Splash Yacht Rally.

This will grant Mike the company of other boats into various ports as far as Broome, where he'll continue his voyage to approximately 38 ports around Australia. You can track Mike's exact position throughout the journey using an image on his website, which is updated every six hours.

Andreas Dagelet

Craig Burnett fitting a 50 W Panel to the Jayco pop top camper, watched by Andreas. Dave, Andreas. Peter & Hugh.
Photo: Outside the Rainbow Power Co. and Andreas outside the famous Rainbow Cafe, on the main street of Nimbin.

Andreas Dagalet is a paraplegic who had the unfortunate experience of falling from a tree whilst in New Zealand, on the 10th April 1995; at the time he was a member of The New Zealand RAF. The saying “you can’t keep a good man down” could not be truer in Andreas’s case. On the tenth anniversary of the fall he set off to ride a hand cycle around Australia. Leaving Coochiemudlo Island on the 10th April 2005. Traveling anti-clockwise to take advantage of prevailing winds.

Rainbow Power Co. provided the team with a 50 Watt Kyocera solar panel, a 200 Watt Selectronic Inverter, a solar regulator and an AGM battery, so that Andreas can keep up his website whilst traveling.

His exploits and diary, along with a whole host of great pics can be found on his site at www.handcycleoz.blogspot.com
The newest adventure for Andreas is outlined at this website http://www.extremerolling.com

On the journey Andreas is calling into as many local schools as he can. "This guy is truly amazing. If only a little bit of his fortitude rubs off on just some of the kids he will meet, then this journey will be well worthwhile” said Dave Christmas of Rainbow Power.

At the beginning of February RPC had the pleasure of hosting, for a couple of days, Andreas Degelet, his brother Renee, and Bek and Kat who are part of his support crew. The purpose of the visit was for RPC to install some solar gear on his vehicles to assist in the remarkable journey they are about to undertake.

RPC were happy to sponsor two 85Watt solar panels, two Latronic sine wave inverters, fusing, cabling, and installation. Our battery supplier Alco Batteries "came to the party" with two 100Ah deep cycle "Gel" batteries, (thanks Barry).

Andreas, ex NZ RAFand paraplegic since a tragic accident in 1995 is made of much sterner stuff than most. His last visit to RPC was in March 2005, again for the fitting of solar equipment to his caravan, this was before he set of to ride his handcycle 16,000 klms around Australia. and calling into schools along the way to give insprational
talks to the many kids he met. His exploits from that journey can be viewed here.

This time there is another worthwhile purpose behind the reason for the visit. This time, Andreas and another paraplegic Dale Elliot, Australias first paraplegic skydiver, intend riding their handcycles 5,000 klms from Melbourne to Darwin. The journey officially kicked off on Wednesday the 17th Feb 2010, and along with again visiting many
schools along the way there is also another reason behind the ride.

Andreas and Dale are raising money to help cure children born with Club Foot in Africa. They are aiming for $200,000 so they can help 1000 kids. Every $200
they raise gives another child the chance to walk properly.
Their web site Extreme Rolling can be viewed here. http://www.extremerolling.com/

Their You-Tube vid is here.

Please take a look. Check out the interactive map and if you see them on the road please say Hi.

After a bit of discussion, our techos at Rainbow Power Company fitted an automatic battery isolator to the van, designed for easy removal – in short, wired up a portable power source for the troupe so they can run a small stereo for sound, a public address system to call them all on down to the show, and an ultra violet fluorescent light along with other show lights, for up to three hours.

So, along with solar and hydro energy, Rainbow Power Company is also taking dance performance and entertainment to remote areas of Australia.