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Blog
Feeling the Entrepreneurship Spirit in Uganda
Posted Sunday 8 May 2022, by
I have just returned from an amazing trip to Uganda and Kenya to see firsthand the amazing impacts of Lytefire with some of the 250+ (...)
Blog
EMBU DON BOSCO TECHNICAL SCHOOL SOLAR BAKERY IS UP AND RUNNING
Posted Thursday 7 April 2022, by ,
The Don Bosco Technical Institutes boasts a number of different workshops. Walking around the school you can see students working on metal (...)
Blog
Uganda May Now Be East Africa’s Solar Baking Capital!
Posted Friday 1 April 2022, by
We are back in action in Uganda with Plan International and Plan Uganda! In 2018 we delivered two of our solar bakery and entrepreneurship (...)
Blog
It’s Climate Strike today
Posted Friday 25 March 2022, by
The Lytefire 4 construction guide is at 5€ instead of 99€ for 24 hours (https://lytefire.com/diy-climate-strike). With it, you can build yourself a (...)
Blog
Smart Up Factory is the only bakery in Nebbi!
Posted Monday 7 March 2022, by
After an energetic 3 weeks training course with the inspirational students in Nebbi, Uganda, it has been an incredibly successful experience! (...)
Blog
The dawn of solar project in Embu
Posted Friday 4 March 2022, by ,
Embu is a town on the foothills of Mount Kenya, with wide landscapes, endless fields and fresh, crisp air. The town is alive in all senses of the (...)
Blog
Smart Up Solar training in Nebbi
Posted Tuesday 18 January 2022, by
We are beyond excited to start our 2022 training projects with Plan International’s Smart up hubs in Uganda beginning here in Nebbi! After a (...)
Blog
Kamuli Youth Solar Bakers!
Posted Thursday 13 January 2022, by
Welcome our new Kamuli Youth Solar Bakers!!
After an exciting collaboration with Plan International back in 2018, the team arrived at Smart Up (...)
Blog
Let’s inspire and educate with GoSol!
Posted Thursday 25 November 2021, by
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” GoSol’s mission is to influence and inspire (...)
Blog
Announcing our Cooperation with Jansen PrimeSteps Foundation
Posted Monday 22 November 2021, by
We are proud to announce the start of our cooperation with the Swiss based Jansen PrimeSteps Foundation. With the support and advise of the (...)
Blog
Don Bosco: a new partner to bring Solar Entrepreneurship to Refugees Settlement
Posted Monday 15 November 2021, by
With Don Bosco Jugendhilfe Weltweit we have found a new project partner dedicated to empowering youths. Active all over the world, this (...)
Blog
Announcing new Partnership with Plan International to Empower Entrepreneurs in Uganda
Posted Monday 1 November 2021, by
We are excited to announce this new partnership to empower entrepreneurs to run solar bakeries and food businesses across 11 locations in Uganda. (...)
Blog
Formation à la capitale et installation au village au Burkina avec l’association Tora Coeur de Caux
Posted lundi 1er novembre 2021, by ,
Mission accomplie ! C’est en janvier 2021 que l’association normande Tora Coeur de Caux nous a contacté par l’intermédiaire de notre (...)
Blog
We are featured by "Education Finland" !
Posted lundi 4 octobre 2021, by
Solar Fire Concentration Oy is very happy and honored to see the Lytefire oven featured among the Finnish companies presented by the Finnish (...)
Blog
About 300 solar buns a day for a Montessori school in Mwanza !
Posted mercredi 1er septembre 2021, by
Jambo mambo ! Habari ako ? Nzuri sana ! Greetings and salutations from Mwanza, Tanzania. Also known as Rock City, this city of about a million (...)
Blog
Tanzania: a Montessori school chose Lytefire
Posted Saturday 19 June 2021, by
We’re happy to announce that we will be implementing an innovative new project in the Mwanza region of Tanzania in association with Montessori (...)
Blog
The Ladies of Goghin, solar bakers in Burkina Faso
Posted Monday 31 May 2021, by
We’re very happy to announce the ladies of Goghin have gone solar!
Thanks to your generous contributions on the (...)
Blog
Starting in Ethiopia
Posted Friday 21 May 2021, by
STEM Synergy, is a US-Ethiopian NGO, focused on empowering people (especially youths and women) through practical STEM (Science, Technology, (...)
Blog
Tasty solar bread in Burkina Faso
Posted Wednesday 19 May 2021, by
Tasteful smelling and freshly baked bread. Crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside - It’s so amazing that the baking heat was created by (...)
Blog
Introducing our country managers in 2021
Posted Wednesday 21 April 2021, by
As we continue to grow and to expand our work in new locations, and find new pathways to create impact, the development of solid teams in our (...)
Blog
The Saturday Solar Baking’s in Kenya
Posted mercredi 10 février 2021, by
If you remember, we started in Kenya in 2016 with World Vision, and continued the prototyping the year after with the support of Autodesk (...)
Blog
Building Impact with the First Solar Bakeries in Ethiopia
Posted mardi 2 février 2021, by
Announcing Solar Fire Cooperation with STEM Synergy to empower Youths and Women with Lytefire Solar Ovens in Ethiopia.
We are really excited to (...)
Blog
Solar baking in Haiti with Remar
Posted Monday 25 January 2021, by
Next up in our series of engagements with the amazing NGO Remar, I visited Haiti in order to install a baking oven on the roof of the orphanage (...)
Blog
Happy New Year 2021!
Posted Tuesday 12 January 2021, by
Dear Friends, Clients, Partners, Followers and Supporters,
In 2020, the Lytefire Solar Sauna and the Lytefire Solar Oven have been featured in (...)
Blog
A new solar bakery in Burkina Faso
Posted vendredi 27 novembre 2020, by
We’re very happy to announce the success of our collaboration with the NGO Remar in Burkina Faso. We have officially opened of a brand new, (...)
Blog
First Wood-Based Lytefire 5 Unit to Make Pizzas in the Swiss Alps!
Posted Wednesday 9 September 2020, by
Since a few weeks we have the first wood-based solar concentrator installed at Heuberge Mountain Resort in Switzerland, where we have also (...)
Blog
Online Interdisciplinary Design Course on Solar Thermal Energy
Posted Tuesday 9 June 2020, by
As reported earlier, together with Bern University of Applied Sciences (BUAS) we launched a education course on design and development of (...)
Blog
Interdisciplinary Education Project to develop wood-fabrication methods of Lytefire Solar Concentrators
Posted Tuesday 12 May 2020, by
We are excited to announce that together with Berne University of Applied Sciences we facilitated an interdisciplinary design/build course in (...)
Blog
Followup visit in the Philippines: 8 months later
Posted Monday 27 April 2020, by
We recently revisited our partners USTP (The University of Science and Technology of the Southern Philippines) and CarbonCycle in Cagayan de Oro, (...)
Blog
Crowdfunding for a Solar Bakery in Burkina Faso
Posted Wednesday 1 April 2020, by
We are very happy to have launched a small crowdfunding campaign to support two dynamic guys in Burkina Faso to create a solar bakery and (...)
Blog
We’re coming to your doorstep !
Posted lundi 30 mars 2020, by
Last Christmas, as an act of faith in people’s empowerment and in our solution to play a significant role in climate change crisis resolution, we (...)
Blog
Building in Burkina Faso with Remar
Posted Thursday 27 February 2020, by
We launched a new project with Remar International in Burkina Faso to empower women entrepreneurs. As always we fabricated the solar units (...)
Blog
Happy New Year 2020 !
Posted vendredi 17 janvier 2020, by
Dear Friends, Clients, Partners, Followers and Supporters,
We wish to see more peace and more justice everywhere. We wish that change makers do (...)
Blog
Our Gift to the World:
The Lytefire Construction Guide Available Now!
Posted Tuesday 24 December 2019, by
Today we release the Lytefire 4 Construction Guide to help solve the climate change crisis. It is immediately available for free on the (...)
Blog
Best Validation Ever in Kenya
Posted Tuesday 12 November 2019, by ,
For a company, especially an impact company like ours, the best validation comes from the field. Last week, our representative in Kenya, Mr Jared (...)
Blog
GoSol showing off in Switzerland
Posted mardi 5 novembre 2019, by ,
This autumn is so exciting that we didn’t get any chance to blog and share a bit more with you guys !! Some of our GoSol-team came together in (...)
Blog
GoSol Event on 14th of November at ResponsAbility, Zurich
Posted Sunday 3 November 2019, by
Swiss Impact Investing Network (SIIN) and GoSol are welcoming you to join us for an impact talk on the topic of How to Build a Business Model for (...)
Blog
GoSol on display in Switzerland!
Posted Sunday 22 September 2019, by
GoSol on display in Switzerland!
Solothurn is not known for being the most sunny place in Switzerland – but (...)
Blog
Strike if you wish but more than this: take action.
Posted Friday 20 September 2019, by
It is now 7 years since we created Solar Fire and GoSol.
As friends, we are more than happy. Our team is still united no matter what. We (...)
Blog
Several GoSol Events are happening in Switzerland this September
Posted Wednesday 4 September 2019, by
Read in German
We are excited to extend our invites for two events that will happen in Switzerland this September.
Since a few days (...)
Blog
Solar Entrepreneurship: GoSol’s SOL5s maximise profits
for cashew nuts producers
Posted Tuesday 20 August 2019, by
The Best Agri Products Processing Cooperative (Bappco) is a busy hive of activity. Six days a week the men and (mostly) women of Bappco are hard (...)
Blog
This was TBLI Conference Zurich 2019
Posted Saturday 20 July 2019, by
Last month I attended the TBLI Conference in Zurich. The conference brought together impact investors and companies with a commitment for real (...)
Blog
Forest Trends about GoSol in the Amazon
Posted mercredi 26 juin 2019, by
We started our cooperation with Forest Trends last year in the Amazon with the Surui. Today, the US based NGO reported that "The pilot (...)
Blog
Solar charcoal, cashew nuts process and new evolutions
Posted Monday 20 May 2019, by
Prototyping: beautiful (sometimes frustrating) and creative (sometimes repetitive trial and error iteration) prototyping! Building innovative new (...)
Blog
Partner spotlight: CarbonCycle Processing Inc.
Posted Wednesday 8 May 2019, by
Writing to you from the Philippines, we’re entering the most exciting phase of this collaboration. The construction of 4 Sol5 units is complete, (...)
Blog
Impact Finland next week
Posted mardi 30 avril 2019, by
I’m very excited and happy to represent my team at the InnoFrugal 2019 pitching contest on May 7th and to be invited as a speaker at Waves (...)
Blog
Sometimes it only takes a poem, a garden and a few heroes.
A note from Oxford, Skoll World Forum.
Posted Monday 29 April 2019, by
I’m here, in the garden of Rhodes House, in Oxford. After three days only, I’m already adapted to this old town where so many amazing people have (...)
Blog
Announcing GoSol - USTP University Collaboration
Posted samedi 27 avril 2019, by
We are happy to announce the start of a collaboration with the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines.
Carbon Cycle ltd is (...)
Blog
GoSol’s Guest Lecture at University of California, Berkeley
Posted Saturday 27 April 2019, by
UC Berkeley campus, California. © Wikimedia
In February 2019 we kicked-off a collaboration with UC Berkeley’s MDP department, (...)
Blog
Grand Challenges of Sustainability
Posted Thursday 18 April 2019, by
I’m honoured and happy to be invited by the Lappeenranta University of Technology to be part of the panel discussion on Grand Challenges of (...)
Blog
"You have the energy right over your head, so you have to utilize it"
Posted Friday 5 April 2019, by
This is an interview with Derrick, one of the youth mentors at the Gulu SmartUp Factory, Uganda. In the video, he discusses why entrepreneurs (...)
Blog
USTP’s Innovation Summit 2019 in the Philippines
Posted Tuesday 2 April 2019, by
Last week I was honoured to be invited as a speaker to the 2nd Innovation Summit 2019 hosted by The University of Science and Technology of the (...)
Blog
"I want to be one of the youths who are job creators"
Posted Thursday 21 March 2019, by
Meet Angella, one of the young women at SmartUp Factory Tororo who participated in our solar entrepreneurship education training. Angella was one (...)
Blog
GoSol.solar starting in the Philippines
Posted Tuesday 19 March 2019, by
I’m extremely excited to be travelling to the Philippines to work with our new client and partner, CarbonCycle. I’ve never been anywhere in Asia (...)
Blog
CEO impact events : SDG’s workshop in Helsinki and Skoll forum
Posted vendredi 15 mars 2019, by
Yesterday I have attended a nice workshop about SDG’s organised by Finnpartnership and Beam. It’s really great that impact is spreading in Finland (...)
Blog
"I’m enjoying being in business and I believe I’ll prosper"
Posted Monday 4 March 2019, by
Meet Janet from SmartUp Factory Gulu Hub in Uganda. Janet was one of the most energetic participants of our solar entrepreneurship education (...)
Blog
Our Experience with +Impact by Danske Bank
Posted Monday 18 February 2019, by
Since a few months we are part of the +impact platform created by Danske Bank and we wanted to share our experience with that.
Many tools and (...)
Blog
Announcing GoSol - UC Berkeley MDP Collaboration
Posted Friday 15 February 2019, by
We are happy to announce the start of a collaboration with the MDP program at UC Berkeley, California.
UC Berkeley’s Master of Development (...)
Blog
GoSol Solar Training Highlights
Posted Tuesday 12 February 2019, by
We’re happy to share with you this video which shows some great moments from the Solar Entrepreneurship Training we conducted in Uganda with Plan (...)
Blog
GoSol Evening Reception at Autodesk Gallery
San Francisco, February 25th 2019
Posted Wednesday 6 February 2019, by
GoSol & Autodesk Foundation invite you to join us for refreshments
and learn about GoSol’s solar concentrators developed to empower millions (...)
Blog
Starting in the Philippines with Carbon Cycle
Posted mercredi 6 février 2019, by
All the team is very happy to announce our new project in the Philippines with CarbonCycle, a recycling company and a renewable energy startup (...)
Blog
The Inspiring Image of the Day !
Posted samedi 26 janvier 2019, by
We are happy to share this image sent by World Vision Kenya. These are solar baked buns produced and sold by our friends at Yier Ngima in Siaya, (...)
Blog
Indigenous Suruí using the SOL5 & Dehydrator in the Amazon
Posted Saturday 19 January 2019, by
The first phase of our project in Brazil with Forest Trends to empower indigenous Suruí peoples with solar thermal energy shows a great success. (...)
Blog
7 Sustainable Development Goals made real for Eva Nangira, a young solar entrepreneur in Uganda
Posted Thursday 20 December 2018, by
We’d like to introduce you to Eva Nangira, one of the youth mentors at the SmartUp Factory Tororo Hub. Eva is a very attentive student and really (...)
Blog
SOL5 in the Amazon: solar drying nuts for Suruí Indigenous People
Posted Wednesday 19 December 2018, by
After building the SOL5 solar concentrator and dehydrator in Cacoal, I was ready to take and install them for the Suruí people that live 3 hours (...)
Blog
Invitation to Guest Lecture at TAMK:
Direct Solar Energy - Theory and Practice
Posted Saturday 24 November 2018, by
This Friday November 30th, Eerik Wissenz, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of our project has been invited to give a lecture at Tampere (...)
Blog
Solar Forest - Evening Reception
November 27th, San Francisco
Posted Tuesday 20 November 2018, by
GoSol.solar and Forest Trends are hosting an evening reception to celebrate our partnership to reduce deforestation and empower local communities (...)
Blog
The Inspiring Image of the Day!
Posted Monday 19 November 2018, by
This is from Uganda, were Lorin has now completed the trainings of Smart Up Factory groups of young students entrepreneurs managed by Plan (...)
Blog
Starting in Brazil
Posted Saturday 17 November 2018, by
In the background of the above photo you can see Cacoal city. I’m in Cacoal building a solar concentrator and food dehydrator for the Surui people (...)
Blog
Meeting UN Agencies in Copenhagen
Posted Tuesday 13 November 2018, by
I’m in Copenhagen at the UN procurement seminar, surrounded by people who deeply want this world to be a better place, meeting different agencies (...)
Blog
GoSol.solar Showcase at SOCAP’18 San Francisco
Posted Thursday 1 November 2018, by
Last week we got to showcase GoSol at the SOCAP conference in San Francisco, October 23rd to 27th, 2018. Autodesk Foundation hosted an evening (...)
Blog
Uganda: Follow-Up and Follow-Through
Posted Friday 26 October 2018, by
I’m following up & following through with our young solar powered entrepreneurs at the SmartUp Factory Tororo Hub. I’ve been receiving small (...)
Blog
Announcing Partnership with Forest Trends
Posted Saturday 20 October 2018, by
GoSol is landing in South America! We are very happy about our latest partnership with the organization Forest Trends and excited to start in (...)
Blog
Transition Time for GoSol: New Video,
Scaling the Direct Solar Economy
Posted Friday 19 October 2018, by
Dear Friends, Partners, Customers and Followers,
It’s an important moment for us: GoSol has achieved the Direct Solar Economy vision! By (...)
Blog
Second Training in Uganda Completed!
Posted Wednesday 10 October 2018, by
I’m happy to report that there is a new solar powered bakery business operating in Gulu, Uganda! Our two-week training course in cooperation with (...)
Blog
Let there be Solar Fire!
Posted Tuesday 25 September 2018, by
I’m now well into the training here in Gulu, Uganda, training entrepreneur students from the Smart Up program set by Plan International. The (...)
Blog
Solar training in Uganda: Happy Future Entrepreneurs!
Posted Tuesday 18 September 2018, by
Two weeks ago I arrived to Tororo, Uganda, to a warm welcome from the Plan International and SmartUp Factory teams. My mission was to train (...)
Blog
Plan International’s Clip after a day of Educational Training
Posted Wednesday 5 September 2018, by
Watch this very first video of entrepreneurs getting trained at Smartup Factory in Uganda to run solar bakeries with our SOL5!
It’s great to see (...)
Blog
GoSol’s full vision starting in Uganda
with Plan International
Posted Tuesday 4 September 2018, by ,
Since the very beginning, the way we see it at GoSol is that we must deliver an efficient and powerful solar concentrator, and a training to (...)
Blog
Longan, a Vietnamese fruit that could go solar
Posted Saturday 1 September 2018, by
In her previous post, Tran Ngo, our Junior Project Manager, shared about Vietnamese SME’s that could greatly benefit from GoSol solar (...)
Blog
Can GoSol be useful in South East Asia?
Posted Thursday 30 August 2018, by
Sponsored by our partner Autodesk Foundation, our Junior Project Manager is just back from her field trip to Vietnam for the second phase of the (...)
Blog
Video: A Solar Bakery Run by Women in Tanzania
Posted Monday 23 July 2018, by
We are thrilled to share this film showing how these Tanzanian Entrepreneur Women are using our SOL5 technology to run their bakery. Listen to (...)
Blog
Announcing Partnership with Plan International Finland and SmartUp Factory programme in Uganda
Posted Friday 13 July 2018, by
In partnership with Plan International Finland and Plan International Uganda, we are starting a new cooperation in Uganda providing our SOL5 (...)
Blog
Farmers Days in Kenya
Posted Monday 25 June 2018, by
On June 19th, World Vision Kenya presented the SOL5 oven at Misire Afmaga group in presence of 350 people, including many (...)
Blog
This was AU London 2018
Posted Friday 22 June 2018, by
This week Eerik and I got to attend the Autodesk University conference and Impact Summit in London. Autodesk University brings together industry (...)
Blog
Greening the Blue in Kenya
Posted Friday 8 June 2018, by
World Environment Day was celebrated on June 5th in Kisumu thanks to our cooperation with World Vision. About 500 persons attended the event. (...)
Blog
In Kenya, rural solar entrepreneurs share on SOL5
Posted Tuesday 29 May 2018, by
We’re pleased to bring you the latest footage from our end user entrepreneurs in Western Kenya. Our partners at World Vision Kenya asked the (...)
Blog
Back in San Francisco, Interviewing Near Future Summit
and Autodesk on Sustainability and Impact
Posted Monday 21 May 2018, by
Interview with Zem Joaquin, founder of Near Future Summit as she mentions her favourite quote by Bill McDonough: “We need to love all children of (...)
Blog
Showcasing the SOL5 at Near Future Summit
Posted Friday 11 May 2018, by
Today we had an amazing showcase of our SOL5 at Near Future Summit! Everyone got to experience the power of the sun, snack some tasty solar (...)
Blog
Solar Baking Demo at Pier 9, California
Posted Friday 4 May 2018, by
Today we did a solar bake at Autodesk’s Pier 9, as part of our preparation for next week’s Near Future Summit. A curious crowd of people stopped by (...)
Blog
Our Californian Solar Concentrator turns One Year Old!
Posted Thursday 3 May 2018, by
The SOL5 solar concentrator we built during our Impact Residency at Pier 9 last year just turned 1. It was safely tucked away in storage taking (...)
Blog
GoSol Showcasing at Near Future Summit, California
Posted Tuesday 1 May 2018, by
We are very happy to announce our participation in this year’s Near Future Summit.
Thanks to Autodeks’s support, we’ll be showcasing our SOL5 unit (...)
Blog
Finland-Vietnam IPP program selecting SolarFire/GoSol again
Posted Monday 30 April 2018, by
Another recent reason to share happiness is that we have been selected for the second phase of VMAP+, a program from Finnish Innovation (...)
Blog
Announcing Partnership with TAMK
Posted Friday 27 April 2018, by
Tampere University of Applied Sciences is a higher education institution oriented towards working life and RDI co-operation. Their strengths are (...)
Blog
Autodesk Foundation renewing support for 2018
Posted Thursday 26 April 2018, by
Last February, Autodesk Foundation team visited 2 groups of entrepreneurs in Kenya and they were fully convinced by the impact of the SOL5. On (...)
Blog
GoSol.solar Launched!!!
Posted Tuesday 24 April 2018, by
It’s been a great experience designing the new site and we’re super excited our new website GoSol.solar is now launched.
For longterm followers I (...)
Blog
Update from Kenya projects: Training Entrepreneurs
Posted Friday 23 February 2018, by
Last week, members from all the GoSol projects participated in a capacity building training session on Village Savings and Loans Methodology (...)
Blog
Update from Musoma, Tanzania
Posted Thursday 1 February 2018, by
After three months of rainy weather, the sun is back in Musoma and Alpha Women’s group is back with delicious solar baked breads! We’ve just got (...)
Blog
Wärtsilä’s video introducing our project
Posted Thursday 18 January 2018, by
After a year of cooperation in East Africa, Wärtsilä Corp. is promoting our initiative in their own words.
Watch their video presenting our work (...)
Blog
Video: Impact Residency at Autodesk Pier 9
Posted Tuesday 19 December 2017, by
Watch how Autodesk Foundation and Pier 9 supported GoSol.org this year on our path to design, develop and spread our entrepreneurial solar (...)
Blog
Flagship video of projects in Kenya and Tanzania
Posted Tuesday 31 October 2017, by
After a year of operation with support of our sponsor and with our local partners, we are happy to present our achievements in Kenya and (...)
Blog
Very dynamic solar bakers in Tanzania
Posted Tuesday 10 October 2017, by
Buy what’s available, refine it, sell it for profit. Do it over and over again and support your family and community. This seems to be the (...)
Blog
GoSol speaks at Autodesk University
Posted Wednesday 4 October 2017, by
Our Executive Chairman, Eerik Wissenz, was a speaker invited to the last Autodesk University in Cape Town, South Africa, on September 7th and (...)
Blog
Global Resource Alliance and GoSol in Tanzania
Posted Wednesday 27 September 2017, by
Global Resource Alliance (GRA) is a small international NGO located in Musoma, Tanzania. They work on issues of orphan care, water supply, (...)
Blog
The First Solar Bakery in Tanzania
Posted Sunday 10 September 2017, by
Gosol arrived to Tanzania in June 2017, with the goal to replicate the success of the SOL5 solar concentrators that they had in Kenya and other (...)
Blog
Landing in Tanzania: Butiama Environmental Expo
Posted Monday 4 September 2017, by
When GoSol arrived in Tanzania in May 2017, the goal was to replicate the success our SOL5 has in Kenya among the local entrepreneurs. With (...)
Blog
Fish dehydrated with solar energy at Bao Beach, Kenya
Posted Monday 28 August 2017, by
Food dehydration is an important part of food security and solar thermal tech is the perfect energy source to power food dehydration. In (...)
Blog
Global Ressource Alliance: Our Partner in Tanzania
Posted Tuesday 8 August 2017, by
After a successful mission in Kenya, working with World Vision Finland and World Vision Kenya, and with sponsorship from Wärtsilä, we have piloted (...)
Blog
1 Year After: Expanding Solar Bakery in Kenya
Posted Thursday 29 June 2017, by
Thanks to Wärtsilä, our founding sponsor, we were back to Kenya, collecting a lot of data after 1 year of almost daily use of the SOL5 Oven by (...)
Blog
Yier Ngima - Solar Peanut Butter
Posted Thursday 8 June 2017, by
In this video we’re back at the Yier Ngima cooperative in Kenya, to follow up on their feedback after using the Sol5 for a (...)
Blog
GoSol.org at Maker Fair 2017
Posted Tuesday 23 May 2017, by
Last weekend GoSol.org had a booth at Maker Fair Bay Area, sharing about our impact in Kenya and inviting people to our live showcase on May 25th (...)
Blog
Preserving the green beauty with the power of the sun
Posted Friday 19 May 2017, by ,
Misire youth group is an agricultural community in Nyamira County in southwest Kenya. The area is known for its rich agricultural production. The (...)
Blog
San Francisco Showcase, May 25th
Posted Friday 12 May 2017, by
Come and join us for delicious solar cookies as we demonstrate the Sol5 Solar Oven at Autodesk Pier 9 on May 25th! Experience the power of solar (...)
Blog
You make the world a better place by working...
Posted Friday 28 April 2017, by
You make the world a better place by working together, and sometimes small local partners can provide the best value for the local people. Like a (...)
Blog
Presenting Results and a New Application in Kisumu
Posted Saturday 15 April 2017, by ,
Last Friday, on April 7th, at the World Vision Lake Region compound in Kisumu we presented 3 SOL5’s to around 65 representatives from a wide (...)
Blog
Solar for All – From Vision to Reality
Posted Wednesday 5 April 2017, by
Today we are looking back at a year of intense R&D, prototyping, piloting and partnership building in Kenya, Finland and the US, taking us (...)
Blog
Return to Solar Oven in Kenya
Posted Tuesday 4 April 2017, by
Thanks to the support of our founding sponsor Wärtsilä we are back Kenya since two months, following up on the pilot projects that we started in (...)
Blog
Video Blog: OCTO, Autodesk’s Digital Fabrication Lab at Pier 9
Posted Wednesday 29 March 2017, by
Last week we had the opportunity to visit Autodesk’s OCTO lab. At the lab, Autodesk researches emerging methods of fabrication, looking at (...)
Blog
Wärtsilä sponsors GoSol in Kenya and soon in Tanzania
Posted Wednesday 29 March 2017, by
All the GoSol.org team is happy to announce that Wärtsilä is now sponsoring our work to empower entrepreneurs in Kenya and in Tanzania.
Check out (...)
Blog
SOL5 Oven a Kakuma Refugee Camp with UNHCR
Posted Tuesday 28 March 2017, by
This is the first time we demonstrated a SOL5 inside a refugee camp, marking an important milestone on our path to make solar energy more (...)
Blog
First demo of solar oven for refugees
Posted Wednesday 22 March 2017, by
Lorin Symington updates on experience in and around Kakuma refugee camp in Turkana region of Kenya. The Oven is complete and a local Turkana (...)
Blog
Video Blog: Introducing the Electronics Lab at Autodesk Pier 9
Posted Friday 3 March 2017, by
Apart from CNC machines, 3D printers and laser cutters we’ll be working in the electronics lab at Pier 9, which has everything needed to rapidly (...)
Blog
Video Blog: Welcome to Pier 9!
Posted Wednesday 1 March 2017, by
The first month at Pier 9 have gone by in a breeze. Here are some impressions from the amazing workshops at the Pier. Everything from laser (...)
Blog
Solar Oven Landing in Refugee Camp
Posted Monday 27 February 2017, by
Our team is honoured and excited to be installing our Sol5 baking system at Kakuma in Northern Kenya in the Turkana region. Trees are slow to (...)
Blog
First days at Autodesk Pier 9, San Francisco
Posted Thursday 16 February 2017, by
It has just been a few days that Will Cleaver and Urs Riggenbach have touched down in San Francisco and started their Impact Residency at (...)
Blog
Impact Residency Program Starting at Autodek Pier 9
Posted Thursday 2 February 2017, by
Two of our team members just reached San Francisco, where they’ll be working at the Autodesk Pier 9 facility as part of the Impact Residency (...)
Blog
Solar Fire at AutoDesk University
Posted Tuesday 22 November 2016, by
We just got back from the Impact Summit organized by Autodesk Foundation in parallel to AutoDesk University in Las Vegas. We participated as a (...)
Blog
Update from Kenya: The SOL5 generates income
and supports the entrepreneurs
Posted Wednesday 12 October 2016, by
It is one thing to build and install the SOL5 solar concentrator, but it’s another one to use it. Knowing this, we did our best to train the (...)
Blog
Predicting the Next Billion Solar Concentrators
Posted Thursday 11 August 2016, by
Solar concentration is going to change the world, period. There, we said it. And we want to make it very clear: Solar concentration will play a (...)
Blog
Autodesk Foundation supports GoSol / Solar Fire
Posted Wednesday 3 August 2016, by
Our team is very happy to announce that the Autodesk Foundation (USA) has committed to support our work with a USD 100,000 grant and a very (...)
Blog
SolBook: Preparing the Next Generation
of Solar Builders and Entrepreneurs
Posted Tuesday 2 August 2016, by
The SolBook is a resource for integrating GoSol.org’s empowering knowledge into school’s curricula. It will contain lessons on the physics, (...)
Blog
World Vision’s video presenting our work in Kenya
Posted Tuesday 28 June 2016, by
In this beautiful video you are invited to understand fully what we have achieved in Kenya with the cooperation of Weconomy and World Vision (...)
Blog
Solar Cooking Chef in New York!
Posted Monday 27 June 2016, by
More than a year after we gave a Sol4 to the Teaching Garden of GrowNYC, on Governor Island, it still works well and is being used regularly! (...)
Blog
Building the Direct Solar Economy
Posted Thursday 26 May 2016, by
Discover what has been accomplished in Kenya in partnership with Weconomy, Suomen World Vision and World Vision Kenya. It’s so powerful to see (...)
Blog
Meeting the Kopitge Bakers in Kenya
and First Solar Bread Testing
Posted Monday 2 May 2016, by
We are proud to be able to help the Koptige Bakers by providing them with the knowledge to build and maintain a solar powered bakery that they (...)
Blog
Thank YOU!
Posted Sunday 1 May 2016, by
We are thrilled!! Our #FreeTheSun video presenting our project, tech and spirit has reached 46 749 views on Youtube... Wow!! Let’s hope the coming (...)
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Building Sol5 Solar Concentrators in Kenya
Posted Wednesday 27 April 2016, by
Our best solar oven and roaster builder Lorin Symington has been in Kenya for a few weeks making our Sol5 solar concentrator to roast peanuts and (...)
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Les Vagabonds de l’énergie reprennent la route !
Posted Monday 18 April 2016, by
Souvenirs, souvenirs... Il y a quelques années, Robin Deloof et Arnaud Crétot terminaient leurs études et avaient décidés de faire un périple autour (...)
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GoSol - What We Do and Why
Posted Friday 15 April 2016, by
At GoSol team spirits means a lot to us. Since a few years now, no matter if we work
together from different corners of the globe or not, no (...)
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Two Inspiring Events Upcoming in Helsinki
Posted Friday 15 April 2016, by
"Are you “Value Conscious” and “Values Conscious”? Do you want to learn how to do more with less? Do you want to know how to innovate under resource (...)
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Meeting a Courageous Kenyan Women’s Community
Posted Wednesday 13 April 2016, by
Our whole team is thrilled to be watching Lorin’s first footage from Kenya because these women are the reason we all joined this amazing solar (...)
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GoSol on the road to Kenya
Posted Friday 1 April 2016, by
In this vblog, Lorin Symington is sharing his concerns, determinations and... tiredness before leaving to Kenya for our project in cooperation (...)
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Starting in Kenya with World Vision
Posted Tuesday 29 March 2016, by
Almost all our team was in Paris to meet with our partners, Fondation Rexel and Fondation Deloitte, and briefed Lorin before his departure to (...)
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Sol4 Save Trees
Posted Wednesday 9 March 2016, by
After moving to the city for school, Nayazim Raouzi Peskala is thinking about green ways to build businesses back home. Hear him share his (...)
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First Replication of Sol4 Model in Palestine
Posted Tuesday 8 March 2016, by
Welding shop in Palestine
Moutasem returned to his home country a few months ago with nothing but a vision: To make sustainable (...)
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In Nigeria with SF Green Resources
Posted Thursday 4 February 2016, by
We are so happy to announce the beginning of the project in Nigeria with our partner SF Green Resources ltd.
Abiodun Alabi and Funsho Folabi are (...)
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Drying Fruits With Solar?
Posted Thursday 14 January 2016, by
After seeing the Sol4 in action at The Innovation Hub in South Africa, student of entrepreneurship Bobofranz Mafendela was excited to share with (...)
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Sol4 Demo to Entrepreneurs & Students
Posted Thursday 31 December 2015, by
Together with our #FreeTheSun partners in South Africa, Sunfire Solutions, we demonstrated the Sol4 solar concentrator to students and (...)
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Post COP21 Ecology Strategy Review
Posted Sunday 27 December 2015, by
We are still in the magic of Christmas and I think it’s a good time to reflect on whether Santa will grant the COP 21 wishes. As all children (...)
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The COP21 Agreement: A Letter to Santa
Posted Thursday 17 December 2015, by
The COP21 agreement is filled with all sorts of legalese that may be difficult for the average person to understand. A great deal of press has (...)
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Early Adopter Participates in Startup Program
Posted Wednesday 9 December 2015, by
Our early adopter Moutasem Hassan took part in the cewas Middle East startup course in Palestine. Moutasem (front-right) wants to take GoSol.org (...)
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Backyard Baking in Joburg
Posted Tuesday 1 December 2015, by
Here’s a fun little video of GoSol’s Lorin Symington baking with the Sol4 + oven in Johannesburg. Whether you bake mountains of muffins, scads of (...)
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Aaron Langa from Forum4Change
Posted Wednesday 25 November 2015, by
While at the Siyakhana gardens, we met up with Aaron Langa, a serial social entrepreneur and longtime advocate for the rights of the poor. He’s (...)
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Deloitte Foundation becomes a GoSol.org sponsor
Posted Monday 23 November 2015, by
We are happy and honored to announce that the Fondation d’entreprise Deloitte is becoming a new supporter of the GoSol.org (...)
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Siyakhana vBlog
Posted Friday 20 November 2015, by
The Wits Siyakhana Initiative for Ecological Health and Food Security is a 2 hectare garden and eco-center tucked away in a Johannesburg city (...)
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Meeting the Yier Ngima Support Group in Kenya
Posted Tuesday 17 November 2015, by
World Vision is one of the biggest NGOs in the world, in the field every day to support compassionate, educational and sustainable actions. (...)
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Rorisa At the Innovation Hub
Posted Monday 16 November 2015, by
While we were at The Innovation Hub in Pretoria, South Africa, we got a chance to talk with some of the students there and we asked them what (...)
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Wandie’s Place - Going Solar?
Posted Thursday 12 November 2015, by
Recently, we teamed up with restauranteur Wandile Ndala, owner of Wandies Place, the most famous township restaurant in South Africa. Wandies has (...)
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GoSol.org and SunFire Solutions on CCTV’s "Africa LIVE"
Posted Monday 2 November 2015, by
We blogged earlier on our solar showcase at Siyakhana where we hosted a film crew from CCTV Africa doing a piece on renewable energy and (...)
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Solar Energy and Food Gardens Are a Natural Fit
Posted Friday 30 October 2015, by
Community gardens are dynamic, important spaces that improve food security, increase access to nutritious and sustainably grown foods, and raise (...)
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10 Km from Civilization - the GoSol Solution
Posted Tuesday 27 October 2015, by
We are very honoured and happy to publish this blog post from Gabriel Ojobo, Country Manager at SF Green Resources Nig. Ltd., our partner for our (...)
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Baking in Johannesburg
Posted Monday 19 October 2015, by
After completing the Sol4, I started to test the oven we’ve built at SunFire Solutions. First thing in the morning I decided to bake scones. Did (...)
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Inspiring Innovation in Pretoria
Posted Monday 12 October 2015, by
The Sol4 is done, and the oven won’t be far behind! Excited to get out and show off, we presented the solar concentrator to the students of the (...)
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GoSol.org in the Johannesburg Workshop
Posted Monday 5 October 2015, by
Johannesburg is a great place to build. South Africa is the industrial heart of Southern Africa and JHB is where the action is. In the industrial (...)
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Solar and the Meaning of Life
Posted Monday 28 September 2015, by
We have many ecological and social problems. Some say we’re doomed.
Solar is expanding exponentially. Some say everything will be fine.
We (...)
Blog
Starting in South Africa with SunFire Solutions
Posted Sunday 27 September 2015, by
Thanks to the ongoing success of our #FreeTheSun campaign and the determination of SunFire Solutions, we’re finally on the ground in RSA. We’ll be (...)
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Rexel Foundation becomes a GoSol.org Sponsor
Posted Wednesday 16 September 2015, by
We are proud to announce that the Rexel Foundation for a Better Energy Future is reinforcing their support for the GoSol.org initiative by (...)
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Solar Eggplant at GrowNYC
Posted Tuesday 15 September 2015, by
The guys at GrowNYC just cant be stopped. Another tasty solar snack directly harvested and cooked in their solar (...)
Blog
Solar Breakfast at Surface in Hamilton, Canada
Posted Friday 4 September 2015, by
I’ve just completed another Sol4 model based on the most recent early-adopter construction plans here at Surface Design Space in Hamilton, (...)
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Connecting Builders: Switzerland meets Togo
Posted Thursday 27 August 2015, by
Recently we connected the two early adopters Kurt Baumann, who built a Sol4 with his school-class in Switzerland and Boris Awume from Togo, whom (...)
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Solar Popcorn and Greens at GrowNYC
Posted Tuesday 18 August 2015, by
Earlier this year we built a Sol4 solar concentrator at SI Makerspace and installed it at the Teaching Garden of GrowNYC. Shawn Connell, staff (...)
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Boris Awume, Entrepreneur from Togo
Posted Friday 7 August 2015, by
Boris Awume is our most recent early adopter. He is an entrepreneurially-minded Togolese working in Switzerland but excited to make new things (...)
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Engineering Students Complete Solar Concentrator in Pakistan
Posted Friday 31 July 2015, by
The engineering students at Air University completed their final project of a hybrid solar-biomass system. Their model used our Sol4 solar (...)
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Solar Energy for Palestine
Posted Saturday 25 July 2015, by
After studying abroad and working in the solar industry in the US, Moutasem Hassan is ready to return to his conflict-ridden home country and (...)
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First Sizzle with the Sol4 in Switzerland
Posted Monday 20 July 2015, by
After setting up the solar concentrator in the school’s yard, the students had to calibrate the mirrors. Soon enough the vegetables, burgers and (...)
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Hybrid Power Generation at Air University, Islamabad
Posted Friday 17 July 2015, by
Muhammad Hassaan is a 23 year old engineering student from Pakistan. For his final project, Muhammad and his two other teammates Zia Bakht Butt (...)
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Swiss Schoolclass is Building a Sol4
Posted Monday 13 July 2015, by
Kurt Baumann is a handicraft teacher in Langenthal, Switzerland. He is our first MultiPass supporter, and wants to build a solar concentrator as (...)
Blog
L’entreprenariat solaire accessible aux plus pauvres
Posted Monday 6 July 2015, by
L’article ci-dessous est la version complète d’un article de deux pages qui sera publié dans la revue du réseau "Sortir du nucléaire" cet été 2015 : (...)
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Sol4 Guide Ready for Early Adopters
Posted Sunday 5 July 2015, by
We’ve just finished the first version of the Sol4 guide and now all our Early-Adopters get to download it and start building right (...)
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Mackenson’s Solar Pizza
Posted Tuesday 9 June 2015, by
Mackenson, the first GoSol.org technician in Haiti is back on the GoSol.org blog with a message to all our viewers and potential supporters: (...)
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Baking Cake in Haiti
Posted Thursday 14 May 2015, by
We met Fabienne Dorlean through Robillard Louino, a young leader from Cite Soleil in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She’s a graduate from a hotelery (...)
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Rexel Foundation (Paris) is supporting us
Posted Monday 27 April 2015, by
We are honored and happy to count the Rexel Foundation among our partners for the campaign and to be part of the Rexel Foundation Platform for (...)
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SOS Energie, Burkina Faso
Posted Sunday 26 April 2015, by
Vincent Nikiema, the President of SOS Energie Burkina Faso (SOSEB), is happy to support our campaign and we hope we can start together some field (...)
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GrowNYC Goes Solar
Posted Thursday 23 April 2015, by
We’re so happy to introduce our new partner GrowNYC, a non-profit which improves New York City’s quality of life through environmental programs (...)
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Jeunes Verts Togo
Posted Wednesday 22 April 2015, by
The Jeunes Verts Togo are a youth association created in December 2009 with currently more than 500 members (students, youths, and women from the (...)
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Meeting Patricia Mc Ardle, the Solar Lady
Posted Tuesday 21 April 2015, by
I’ve met Patricia McArdle a few years ago through her novel Farishta, where she shares about her experience in Afghanistan as a diplomat and the (...)
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SunFire South Africa Supports the #FreeTheSun Campaign
Posted Thursday 16 April 2015, by
Crosby Menzies, founder of SunFire Solutions in Johannesburg, South Africa, is supporting our #FreeTheSun campaign.
It’s an important partner for (...)
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World Vision and the Weconomy Program
Posted Saturday 4 April 2015, by
Juha-Erkki Mäntyniemi, COO and Innovation Director, is presenting shortly the Weconomy program powered by the NGO World Vision. We plan a (...)
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Finnish Cleantech Delegation to San Francisco and L.A.
Posted Monday 30 March 2015, by
Last week I visited California as part of a Finnish cleantech delegation led by Ms. Lenita Toivakka, Minister for European Affairs and Foreign (...)
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Baking Experiments in Haiti
Posted Friday 20 March 2015, by
Here, our budding entrepreneurs Mackenson and Island are preparing more treats in the 3m2 solar oven on the roof of Haiti Communitere, in (...)
Blog
Boond - Every Drop Makes a Difference
Posted Tuesday 17 March 2015, by
We are proud and honored to announce a cooperation with Rustam Sengupta, Founder and CEO of Boond for the crowdfunding campaign we are launching (...)
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Interview with Alan Bigelow, PhD, Columbia University
Posted Wednesday 4 March 2015, by
Alan Bigelow is a physicist that develops optical and ion-beam technologies at Columbia University. Passionate about solar energy and what it can (...)
Solar French Fries
Posted Monday 2 March 2015, by
Funny... I’ve found this oooooold video of Solaire absl (a non-profit association based in Belgium) cooking French Fries with our solar (...)
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Mackenson Has Seen the Future, the Future is GoSol!
Posted Wednesday 25 February 2015, by
Meet Mackenson, the first GoSol.org technician in Haiti and a dear friend of mine. He’s a good man with a kind heart who has lived a difficult (...)
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Arnaud Crétot’s Interview for Libres! Le Film
Posted Tuesday 24 February 2015, by
Our thermal engineer Anaud Crétot talks about our energy future in this interview for
Libres Le Film (in French). Arnaud Crétot, ingénieur (...)
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Staten Island Cookoff with GrowNYC
Posted Monday 16 February 2015, by
See the results of Lorin’s training and demonstration day with GrowNYC at the Staten Island Makerspace.
Blog
The New Global East Africa Event
Posted Thursday 12 February 2015, by
Yesterday we attended an event hosted by The New Global at Aalto University.
Solar entrepreneurs Patrick Ngowi of Helvetic Solar and Rustam (...)
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GoSol.org International Team in Tampere, Finland
Posted Tuesday 3 February 2015, by
Meet the GoSol.org team in this short film by French filmaker Basile Remaury.
Blog
Grilled Cheese in the Freezing Cold!
Posted Tuesday 3 February 2015, by
Saturday was freezing cold (-10°C / 14°F) but Lorin & co. were cooking up a storm at the Staten Island Makerspace in New York.
Want to check (...)
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Concentrator Ready at Staten Island Makerspace
Posted Monday 26 January 2015, by
Lorin has finished building one of GoSol.org’s solar cookers in record time!
Have a look at his video introducing some of the people at the (...)
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"Libres!" Trailer with English Subtitles
Posted Sunday 25 January 2015, by
Energy is very closely connected to freedom. And private economy and freedom are contradictionary in many ways. So bring back the energy to (...)
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Les Vagabonds de l’Énergie on Samsø Island
Posted Wednesday 21 January 2015, by
Yesterday Arnaud Crétot from France joined us in Finland. Arnaud is a thermal engineer with keen interest in the global renewable energy (...)
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Arnaud Crétot Joins Us from France
Posted Wednesday 21 January 2015, by
We are very excited to have Arnaud Crétot from France over with us in Finland. Now, for the first time, the team is all in one place (Well, except (...)
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GoSol.org at Staten Island MakerSpace, NYC
Posted Monday 19 January 2015, by
Progress update from Lorin Symington’s quest to build a solar concentrator in NYC. Lorin is working with the Staten Island MakerSpace in (...)
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Mackenson and Guerline baking at Haiti Communitere
Posted Friday 16 January 2015, by
Yesterday Mackenson and Guerline baked up some delicious goodies for the fine people at Haiti Communitere.
Mackenson has been experimenting and (...)
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Lorin’s Update from NYC
Posted Monday 12 January 2015, by
Here’s a quick update from our technologist in the field, Lorin, who is in NYC spreading the GoSol.org goodness. Today marks an important day for (...)
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Meet Mackenson, the first GoSol.org Technician in Haiti
Posted Tuesday 6 January 2015, by
It’s through Haiti Communitere that I met Mackenson. This was back in 2012 when I was checking out Haiti for a solar energy mission. He was hard (...)
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Back in Haiti and Working with the Sun
Posted Monday 5 January 2015, by
The flight from Miami to Port-au-Prince is a lively one. A colourful mix of Haitians returning to their country, aid workers, missionaries and (...)
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GoSol.org Sponsors Libres! - a Great Documentary about Energy
Posted Wednesday 31 December 2014, by
GoSol.org is proud to be a partner of the documentary LIBRES LE FILM. We are happy to be one of the 2088 supporters of this great documentary (...)
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Solar Pizzas in Haiti
Posted Monday 22 December 2014, by
The first milestone of the Haiti project: The team baked pizzas with our solar oven at Haiti Communitere. Yummy... and (...)
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First Days in Haiti
Posted Wednesday 17 December 2014, by
Lorin Symington has reached Haiti safely after long hours of travel. He is now working with Haiti Communitere to install a solar oven in (...)
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Cooking Solar in... Finland?!
Posted Wednesday 10 December 2014, by
"You’re a solar company, and you’re based in Finland?!"
We get to hear this one a lot!
This video right here should pose a big "why not!", as it (...)
Blog
Partner Spotlight: BioSampo FREES
Posted Tuesday 6 May 2014, by
Currently we’re building a training program specific to Solar Fire Technologies with our partner KSAO BioSampo as well as integrate the technology (...)
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GoSol.org Site has Launched
Posted Saturday 5 April 2014, by
The whole team is proud to launch the GoSol.org site!
Between Finland, Switzerland, UK, and Canada it’s been a great collaborative effort needing (...)
