Our Story

SolarEdventure is an emerging venture from CSIRO's HackTheSun event but has its origins in the Himalayan region of Nepal, seeing supply chains reliant on the carrying capacity of local Sherpa's, carrying Cast-iron stoves on high pass trails navigable only by foot and yak. The 2015 Nepal Earthquake saw an isolated, tourism dependent region lose important trail access, village and health centre destruction and the confidence of visitors.

Closer to home, discussions with island based health clinic staff highlighted the impact of volatile fuels on local youth, with petrol sniffing causing ongoing harm to growing bodies. Supply chains were fragile, with vehicle breakdowns and a need for simpler transport options that leveraged an abundance of sunshine.

We looked globally at emerging patterns like visiting midwives in Kenya, attending call-outs by motorcycles, but arriving at destinations without light or power.

We know that youth in high-country Nepal are departing their villages for brighter futures, with few local options, leaving only the elderly to keep villages + crops viable.

​What if that could change?

Imagine the possibilities of personal mobility on 2 wheels, powered by the sun. Add plenty of carrying space, 2WD and portable power for #energysecurity Put it in a deployable box.. #solaredventure

— solaredventure (@solaredventure) January 17, 2019

As a team, we know that modern, ruggedised eBikes and Solar+Storage consumer products exist which, if put together into a ready to use combination could transport clinical staff to where they were needed faster than by foot, arriving with a ready source of power + lighting to assist. That same combination also works as an novel ecotourism business opportunity and sustainable transport model for isolated islands. By ruggedising them into a standard shipping container format that can be readily deployed by air, land or sea, we have a turnkey business opportunity ready for new niche adventure businesses and a field deployable disaster response hub that can do double duty as a rugged, self-sufficient portable clinic.

​Our work merges Solar Technology + Products, Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer to remote areas for Educational Adventures.