Dave and his trusted and skilled assistant Jhun, decided to make a solar lit native fishing boat, or banca as they are called here, to give livelihood to an experienced fisherman who needed a boat to go out on. Traditional bancas use diesel-run generators for their lights which are used to attract fish at night. The generators are noisy and also put out noxious emissions. Solar lights do not put out any fumes and the battery that runs them is silent! It is c
urrently parked at Mangingisda pier, in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. It went out for the first time on a tuna run and came back with a decent haul of yellowfin tuna.
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| The fishermen are only allowed two fish per day. So there is no fear of over fishing from our crew, and they use hook and line and not nets. |
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| The captain of the solar lit boat is so thrilled at his catch. He said that he is happy he no longer has to breath the fumes from diesel-powered lights, plus its much more quiet. The environment is not harmed by C02 emmissions nor their health. |
Diesel fueled generator lights only run for 3 hours and then they have to replace the refuel. The fumes from diesel powered lights are bad for the environment and the fishermen. Our solar lights are so efficient that the captain has been running them all night. The light allows the children to swim next to the boat and cool off during these hot nights of summer. Our solar LED lights last 13 hours!
The fishermen say it costs them an average of 10,000 PHP in diesel, oil, and repairs for their night lights, for a three-day fishing run at sea. There is no cost for our solar lights, except for the initial investment! Therefore, more profit for the local fishermen. Our fishermen will not have to breathe in the noxious diesel fumes or limit the use of nights for safety reasons. Plus, it's much better for the environment!
Fishermen have been swarming to Mangingisda port to see the banca, as word has gotten out through the grapevine. There are 2000 native fishing boats in Puerto Princesa, I am told. Imagine how much better it would be if all the boats were outfitted with solar! Better for the environment and for the health of the fishermen in not breathing fumes but also no noise pollution, as from the generators. Not to mention the 10K PHP in fuel savings for each 3-day trip. That is 100K PHP for 10 three day fishing excursions they can pocket!
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| As the sunsets at Mangingisda pier, the solar lights come on. |
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| An added benefit to the children of the local fishermen, is that they can safely swim at night under the bright lights of the solar lit banca while docked at port to cool off during the summer. |
Click link below to view my blog dedicated to this solar lit fishing boat.
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