I returned home from the third
Cambodia business trip on March 22.
The
purpose of the business trip was to attend a final meeting of a proof
examination of combined natural energy power generation equipment consist of
60kW photovoltaic and 70kW biogas engine that use methane gas produce from dung
of 1000 cows of the ranch. It is a research and
development business of New Energy Development Organization. Due to the good
dung of cows grown up in good natural in Cambodia、we got a lot of methane gas more than
the expectation, consequently got
good result more than the expectation.
We got a letter of honor from the mining and industry and energy Minister
as a result with a brilliant success of local electrification plan, poverty
reduction plan, and natural energy promotion plan that a Cambodian government
promoted. The site is located 75km far from Sihanoukville city where only one
export port and in the third city in Cambodia. I went to the site from the hotel
in the Sihanoukville city with the colleague with the land cabin cruiser. The
village without electricity really is the first time though I made a business
trip abroad many times. The tall coconut tree has grown gradually in a rice
field as far as the eye can reach. It is peculiar scenery to Southeast Asia. A
small village that consists of a simple residence of the high floor type
scatters along the national road that U.S. military constructed for the Vietnam
War. The temperature in daytime is about 33℃ and 20℃ even nighttime in February.
Because it is such a clement climate, they wear short sleeve clothes and
sandals. There are a lot of children with the bare foot. It is impressive that
people are very calm and polite though it is thought one of the world least
developed countries of just standing up from long civil war. We were taught
important thing that we have forgotten. A lot of people seem not to have even
the lamp though there is no electricity. It seems that people get up at the
sunrise and go to bed soon after the sunset.
They
spent a nighttime talking what happen in the day under moonlight with all family
because they don't have television. The plant construction completed in one year
afterward the proof research have been completed in one year. Because the
research ended in a triumph as described at the beginning, this plant is handed
over to Cambodia free of charge. The advent of electricity still influences the
villager's life. They are very pleased to have a bright electric lighting and
watching television. On the other hand it is said that they become to spent
nighttime in front of television long time. Thinking about transition of family
style that we have experienced postwar days, I think it may be better that
family talk about what happened in a daytime sitting around a bonfire than they
watch television for a long time.
Y. Noguchi on March 31,
2005