This little light of mine. Written by Meralda Warren & Randy Key. 23 March 2023

February supply ship delivered more Tron solar systems for local Pitcairn Islanders. Ordered by Steve Christian from a solar firm in New Zealand and funded by Tron.

With everything else happening on Island, with cruise ships calling in after supply ship left, or building projects have been worked on and left for a later date to work to continue construction, The need to install the solar systems became a priority job to work on last Friday and this week.

3 more systems are up and running and 3 more are being worked on.

Some the panels are installed on the roofs of homes, and some have a special platform built to hold the panels in the correct angle.

Our solar system has been running for 16 months now. Only once did it divert to the main generator that supplies the whole Island. Jay, my brother came to have a look at my Tron unit last year and found a couple of terminals not connected right and were a bit loose. Since then we have run independent of the mains power making it zero power bill paid to HMG government.

Learning to bake when there is a good sun or knowing that the batteries are fully charged and using power if need be during the day and not at night.

The Polynesians who came on the Bounty knew how to have light after dark and they use the candle nut kernel we call Doodwi. They string the nuts on Niau (Backbone of the coconut leaf) and bunch them up inside of the dried out Alwei (the sheath of the coconut flower).

They also kept the fat from cooking the goats and the pigs and used that in coconut shells with a wick made from bark to burn a fire. Sadly, the coconut shell will burn too. As teapots came on the Island, they used to put oil or fat in the teapot especially the metal ones leaving the pottery ones for the kitchen. A rope or lamp wick replaced the roots or bark and the light can be used especially for outside. Kerosene became plentiful from the many passing ships and these were bartered for use in the kerosene lamps, lanterns and the old kerosene fridges.

In 1942, Elwyn Christian brought in the first diesel generator and set that up. Wiring his house, his sisters house next door then eventually our house when Mum and dad built it and moved in.

The diesel generator lasted a very long time without replacement parts too.

It was still going in 1979 and Jay moved it to their house land to supply electricity when they were building their home.

Soon after families and other government departments started bringing in diesel driven generators.

Elwyn, Dad and Jay up graded ours and we had that generator for many years. Jay Bought a 2-cylinder engine for his house und used it until power from the mains generator was on all day from 6am till 10pm. When Jayden moved it to his house, he needed power to build his house. This was in 2019.

Government provided a Diesel Generator for Adamstown running for a few hours in the morning then from 6-10 at night. That burnt down in 1985. Lister 6 cylinder diesel generators were installed in the center of Adamstown. The load becoming more and more as folks built homes further away and more fridges, freezers and electrical appliance and tools came a daily used here on Pitcairn

Even now the 3 electric cars Bought in 2 years ago for the Government workers for HMG must be charged.

Steve started the solar alternative powered system about 8 years ago. Applying for a home loan and investing in solar power. Still using main power if his system fails to charge due to no sun and rainy conditions.

He and Olive Hosted guest who was interested in funding the solar energy project. So, in the past 3 years, he’s liaised with Tron for this project.

As more Islanders joined the Tron solar project and HMG funds for payment of power dwindled, the government banned Council members from joining into the Tron system. Then the Administrator last year ordered systems only for the homes of the Expats. They went to a different supplier and their system is different to the system that is used in Pitcairn homes. A spare unit was set up in the Clinic.

Again it was a us and them situation and soon the poor generators were struggling to run the few places that were still connected to the main power grid.

A call to cut back on power didn’t go good and soon the mains generators shut off power especially at night before the engineers get there to turn it off at 10pm.

Our Pitcairner’s who knew what they were doing, checked out the systems and found the solar systems for the expats and the clinic was the problem.

Dar sing fer Archies. “Ah si way wi se come.”

Technology have run far on our small Island. Oh, if only Mauatua can see it now. Cooking chicken in an air fryer instead of over a fire or in a umu oven under the dirt. Using solar power instead of firewood heating the stones. May this battery powered force last for many years to come as by then we may know a thing or two to pass on. “Let the lower lights be burning, send a gleam across the sea” used to be sung a lot in church and gatherings here.” “Twinkle twinkle little star”, maybe the next move