Solar-powered donkey carts bring power to African villages

African street tech is always an interesting mashup of old and new, and these solar powered Human and Animal Powered Vehicles, or HAPPYs, as they're known, are no different. Using a traditional donkey cart as a platform, the HAPPY is based around a solar panel and a 12-volt battery, a power supply robust enough to power a cell antenna, water filtration system, emergency lights, and a small neon tube -- enabling the HAPPY to support several families in a rural setting or serve as an income-generating kiosk in a more urban environment. The developer, Wheel and Water, is looking for donations to complete Phase One of the Happy's development, but we wouldn't be surprised to see several other variations of this concept pop in other area where carts of this kind are prevalent.

[Via AfriGadget]

[James Ollier @ Oct 11th 2007 7:17AM]

Spam alert!!

PS Surely the 2 donkeys are powering the cart,and couldn't you fit dynamos to the wheels aswell?

[Luisen @ Oct 11th 2007 7:18AM]

Why they dont use the donkeys/mules to generate the electricity?
They could put some "dynamos" on the weels as well :)

[HineyWipe @ Oct 11th 2007 10:16AM]

Or atleast some spinners on those drab white wagon wheels...

[dataminer49er @ Oct 11th 2007 7:56AM]

But where can I plug in my laptop? Oh dear...

[BananaBoat @ Oct 11th 2007 8:27AM]

Now you too can have a solar powered ASS!!!!



GONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

[Warhorse @ Oct 11th 2007 10:45AM]

Winner!

[James @ Oct 11th 2007 8:44AM]

Nice, but will it run Quake?

[Magallanes @ Oct 11th 2007 9:24AM]

Yes, can run Quake! (Quake is the name of the donkey in the left, the other is called Halo3).

[wrabbit @ Oct 11th 2007 9:47AM]

Darn it, so no Doom I guess, that's a shame

[AlexP @ Oct 11th 2007 10:31AM]

You fail to amuse us yet again.

[johnzilla @ Oct 11th 2007 9:22AM]

Hmmm...and I'll bet they didn't need a few thousand kids chatting via OLPC to do it, either.

[Magallanes @ Oct 11th 2007 9:26AM]

The sad parts is that usually donative and charity foundation earn millions of dollars and the results is just a couple of donkey attached a solar panel.

[wrabbit @ Oct 11th 2007 9:49AM]

I say put some flexible solar panels on donkeys as well, put a light cooling system underneath so the animals don't get too hot - it will use up part of the power from those solar panels, and the rest just goes into the general reserve.

[Phillip @ Oct 11th 2007 10:26AM]

This is not as enviromental safe as they are leading us to believe.....the donkey will produce enough methane to equal two SUV's. Not to mention the methane the people will generate by eating anything this cart produces...lol.

[NovaLand @ Oct 11th 2007 12:26PM]

Yeah. It's much better if they burn down the last of the forrest for getting their energy. We also need to keep the people poor and in need of our support for things like water and food so we can get them to work for free. Independence is a nasty thing.

[NovaLand @ Oct 11th 2007 12:26PM]

Putting dynamos in the cart would make the donkeys work harder and eat more food. Ot also have to travel around to get that extra energy, which isn't always the case with a cart.. they do stop sometimes, u know. The price is cheaper to build one without dynamos that would not have the same effect.

[Ethan @ Oct 11th 2007 1:17PM]

Those electric donkeys are really realistic. It's amazing what you can power with the sun.

[paul.davis @ Oct 11th 2007 2:00PM]

I think the next update patch for Halo 3 will have this vehicle.. but the donkeys will be pumped full of steroids and it should only come in the color of blood splatter. Can somebody confirm if it'll be able to hold that many people in the game?

[milesthatsme @ Oct 11th 2007 3:25PM]

Is for those impoverished Africans who have car appliances that require a cigarette-lighter adapter, but have no car?

Seriously, what is this about? Why make these panels mobile and force poor donkeys to drive them around?

[Wendell Daniel @ Oct 11th 2007 5:57PM]

ghost ride it?

[Sirocco @ Oct 11th 2007 8:07PM]

If the cart is solar powered, then are the donkey's just health conscious and trying to get exercise?

[Evan @ Oct 13th 2007 11:11PM]

wouldnt this be called a donkey power solar cart though?

[Tracy in Cary @ Oct 12th 2007 1:17PM]

I vote we re-title this article...

Donkey-powered mobile solar panels bring electricity to African villages.