NEWS ARCHIVE: August 2001

August 16, 2001 "Sovetskaya Belorussiya" (The Soviet Byelorussia) Newspaper #233 Let light shine!

«Glubokij Ugol» (what symbolically may be translated as «Deep diggings») village. This place is situated in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. A local journalists group was shocked when they visited the place for the first time several years ago. They saw that two houses which are this small village were not lighted at all. How could it happen on the edge of the third century, moreover on the territory located near the governmental summer residence but some families are still living without electricity. The still use Betty lamp.

When this situation was opened to public local authorities decided to provide village «Glubokij Ugol» with magic achievement of civilization. Let the light shine! But first of all it was necessary to lay a 5 km line on a wildlife forest area what could damage protected nature.

In that very time the local authorities thought about a Minsk company «Elektret» that produces systems of uninterruptible power supply that can transform sun power into electricity. One of the company's branch offices was presented in Brest. The workers of the company gave the light to the village although the light appeared 80 years later than the famous Lenin's Lamp. Actually, the government has spent 10 times less than if they would lay a new line on.

Now two local power systems (400 and 150 Wt) provide the village with power. In summer it is easy to get power. But what about winter? As we discovered, solar-voltaic array is able to catch energy even if the Sun is hidden behind clouds. To make a long story short, sun power system is resting only during nights working hard during a day supplying the sun energy.

Fedor MUHA