About the Expedition
Starting on EU Solar Day, 15 May 2009, Susie Wheeldon, Jamie Vining and Iain Henderson set off on their 12,000 mile cycle around the world.
Through searing hot deserts, across oceans and over snow-capped mountain ranges, the team have been highlighting ways we can work together to combat climate change.
With thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solar panels custom built into their panniers by G24 Innovations, they use solar energy to power their kit. As they have a mobile solar power source, as well as Nokia’s state of the art mobile phones, their 9 month expedition can be tracked in real time and this on-line diary updated from anywhere in the world.
Additionally the team are visiting photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) stations during their journey.
The trip aims to profile and raise funds for SolarAid* – the UK’s first solar energy charity for the developing world.
It also promotes the Desertec initiative – to use present day CSP technology to harness the suns rays throughout the world’s deserts – and the UK-based ’We Support Solar‘ campaign.
They will also use the trip to contribute – and encourage others to contribute – to Nokia’s sustainable travel site: Green Explorer.
*SolarAid was set up to fight the two most important threats facing the world today: global poverty and climate change. The charity trains rural communities in Africa to build and sell small solar devices, such as solar radios, solar lanterns or solar mobile phones.
**Desertec is an initiative of The Club of Rome, the Hamburg Climate Protection Foundation and the National Energy Research Center of Jordan (NERC). Its proposals are supported by several members of the European Union and are currently being considered by the United Nations.
