An eco-village, as a prototype of the global future village, needs an environmentally friendly and decentralized energy supply that can be produced by regional craft companies—independent of large industry (source: Tamera Ecovillage and Leila Dregger). Jürgen Kleinwächter and his enterprise Bomin Solar in Lörrach/Germany has developed a model for solar energy supply to an African village with 50 inhabitants, the "Solar Power Village". Without photo voltaic it produces energy for cooking, pumping water, wheat milling and electricity.

Why is Community Important to the Development of Appropriate Technology?
Kleinwächter is working in cooperation with the Healing Biotope 1 Tamera because, he says: "Only a community can guarantee the social and cooperative form of living that is necessary for ways of living with an autonomous supply of energy." In Tamera one considers the implementation of this village as an inter-disciplinary research project.

The belief among in the communities and ecovillage movement is that a key ingredient in the design of sustainable societies is the building of social and cultural infrastructure based on mutuality, integrity and trust. Once this foundation is laid, it can then be augmented with pioneering post-industrial appropriate technologies such as the Solar Power Village concept, Solaroof and the Integrated Food and Waste Management System.

How did the Solar Power Village develop?
The inventor Jürgen Kleinwächter spent some time in West Africa and noticed the patterns of the people there. He began to realize just how compelling the everyday needs of the people were and how appropriate technologies could dramatically improve their lives. In his words:
“In the Sahel zone women walk an average of 40 km per day, only to collect wood. Then they crush wheat for 1-2 hours. At the well, which becomes deeper and deeper, they have to pump the water with their own muscle power. Children become sick due to the bad quality of water. The vegetable gardens suffer from the wind and the heat in this arid climate."

If these Solutions Exist why are they Slow to be Implemented?
All these problems, have gone unsolved for several reasons:
1.Neglect of rural regions
2.Development policymakers in traditional top-down institutions who eschew integrated whole systems approaches to solving problems.
3.Lack of cooperation and coordination among grassroots
The result has been a massive rural exodus, which has driven the demographic transition. Urbanization is seen unquestionably as a good thing because we have told that modern societies are overwhelmingly urban and so emerging economies are progressing when they discourage rural development and encourage urban migration.. However while this strategy of urbanization appears to have worked moderately well in many developed economies it is not clear that is suitable to non-western societies located in tropical climates. Cities have grown at incredibly rapid rates, rates that have far exceeded the ability of officials to deal with the influx.

What are Solar Power Village Modules?
We believe this Solar Power Village is one technology that can empower local communities and develop an alternative to the current corporate globalization model. Modules are components of an integrated system that are designed to (in integrated systems) who synergistically with each other in multiple ways (see multifunction or multi-use design for more). The Solar Power Village is a combination of various modules, which serve the production, storage and use of solar energy.

1. The Green house Module
Under the roof of a 30-40 sqm sized green house - a row of fresnell lenses are mounted on top of the greenhouse and follow the movement of the sun. The lenses focus the sunlight to a focal point (a concentrated solar collector) that contains blackened copper tubes encased by transparent glass tubes. Inside the tubes vegetable oil flows and as it flows through the tubes it absorbs the sun’s heat which is concentrated at the collector. As the oil flows through the “concentrated energy zone” it heats up to around 220°C. The oil then flows into a heat storage system. The green house can be constructed out of aluminum which is durable and long lasting but is high embodied energy material. As an alternative to this we are looking at more ecologically friendly materials such as bamboo and over the long term—carbon fiber. The aluminum cage is covered by a poly film plastic, which allows more parts of the sunlight spectrum (especially UV) to pass through than usual layers do. Longevity varies in relation to quality/cost of the material. This poly plastic allows more radiation to pass through than does glass. The poly film is one of the few parts of the Solar Village that can not be produced at the local level.

2. Solar Storage Module
The oil is stored in a large, well insulated cylinder - which can also be locally produced. Insulating the hot oil means that it can be used to provide power systems such as electrical generators 24 hours a day. An important advantage here is that this technology is a low cost way of avoiding expensive and environmentally degrading batteries. In addition to this technology, Kleinwächter developed an environmentally friendly energy storage system using Magnesium Hydrate Alanate Storage system.

3. Solar Cooking and Heat Recovery Module
The Solar Village. He says: "Solar cooking, kilns and smelters reduce deforestation, desertification and erosion, while encouraging small scale industrial development. This simple technology allows for local production and decentralized work places."

Cooking is done in a specially developed cooking place in the Solar Power Village. The hot oil flows through double plates, which have the form of cooking pots. With the temperature of the oil (220°C) one can fry, cook, and bake - around the clock. "Through which the first dream of the African women would be full filled," Kleinwächter tells happily. " One can regulate the temperature and have the same comfort as with an electrical stove." The cooking places can also be produced locally and would support the regional economy.

4. The Power Module
Hot oil flows into the low temperature stirling motor, which uses the temperature difference between the hot oil and cold water to move a flywheel. This then produces mechanical energy that can used to power wheat mills, water pumps or be converted to electricity. The Bomin Solar water pump, the "Sunpulse" has already reached the production stage.