Atasa Solar | Make Solar
Atasa Solar: Make Solar
Community-designed, Empowered Renewable Energy For All.
A collaboration of
OMWA: Olorgesailie Maasai Women Artisans of Kenya + IdiaDega
+ LAGI: Land Art Generator Initiative
Atasa Solar will create renewable energy public structures and wearable solar garments in collaboration with Indigenous communities to overcome environmental, economic, design racism and misogyny.
Despite being bathed in sunlight throughout most of the year, Indigenous communities across the Global South lack access to the energy that might be leveraged to improve their condition. And even in cosmopolitan urban communities around the world many of us find moments where we lose power in our small electronics. Atasa Solar is a design and equity project that we believe will provide solutions through creativity.
In the spirit of Kenyan “Jua Kali - get it done” tradition, this “fierce sun” energizes our global project launching in the Maasai community of Olorgesailie, Kenya. Our community led design process marries traditional Indigenous architecture and design skills with contemporary renewable energy materials. This is a new design language process for clean energy systems designed by and for Indigenous people and the world. The new sustainable model for the production of culturally-apt renewable energy products can then be implemented in other communities all over the world.
In addition to capacity building and cultural exchange, the project will result in functional solar energy structures, personal wearable charging garments, and sustainable energy from communities.
We will begin the process of prototype development in 2022, thanks to support from the Opportunity Fund, however we are still in the process to fully fund this research and design phase with the community of Olorgesailie Kenya.
Community-designed, Empowered Renewable Energy For All.
A collaboration of
OMWA: Olorgesailie Maasai Women Artisans of Kenya + IdiaDega
+ LAGI: Land Art Generator Initiative
Atasa Solar will create renewable energy public structures and wearable solar garments in collaboration with Indigenous communities to overcome environmental, economic, design racism and misogyny.
Despite being bathed in sunlight throughout most of the year, Indigenous communities across the Global South lack access to the energy that might be leveraged to improve their condition. And even in cosmopolitan urban communities around the world many of us find moments where we lose power in our small electronics. Atasa Solar is a design and equity project that we believe will provide solutions through creativity.
In the spirit of Kenyan “Jua Kali - get it done” tradition, this “fierce sun” energizes our global project launching in the Maasai community of Olorgesailie, Kenya. Our community led design process marries traditional Indigenous architecture and design skills with contemporary renewable energy materials. This is a new design language process for clean energy systems designed by and for Indigenous people and the world. The new sustainable model for the production of culturally-apt renewable energy products can then be implemented in other communities all over the world.
In addition to capacity building and cultural exchange, the project will result in functional solar energy structures, personal wearable charging garments, and sustainable energy from communities.
We will begin the process of prototype development in 2022, thanks to support from the Opportunity Fund, however we are still in the process to fully fund this research and design phase with the community of Olorgesailie Kenya.
Images from Olorgesailie, Kenya
In 2017, the team: OMWA + IdiaDega + LAGI: Land Art Generator Initiative presented the Atasa Solar project idea at the African Energy Forum in Copenhagen.
In 2017, the team: OMWA + IdiaDega + LAGI: Land Art Generator Initiative presented the Atasa Solar project idea at the African Energy Forum in Copenhagen.
Nepetia Jemimah and Kinta Regina of OMWA: Olorgesailie Maasai Women Artisans of Kenya, beadwork for prototypes.