There were approximately 18,075 people living in Namie in the Fukushima Prefecture at the time of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. Three blows struck the town simultaneously. First, the earthquake, then the tsunami, then total evacuation followed because Namie is within the 20-kilometer exclusion zone around the nuclear power station. Now, after seven dark years batteries are bringing new light to the town again.
The Strength of Human Resolve Returns to Namie
The power of humans in diversity is an amazing thing. Do you think we accumulate a surplus of it in good times, and release it to recharge our determination when life takes us down?
In October 2017, the official population of Namie still stood at zero, although the authorities had declared the coastal portion safe a few months earlier. Half the old residents would like to return. But their infrastructure is in tatters. They don’t even have grid electricity or streetlights. However, Nissan motor company has a solution for the street lighting.
Batteries are Bringing New Light in Many Ways
There comes a time in the life of every battery when it can no longer do its original job. But, it still retains some of its original power. This is why we need to be especially careful about disposing of discarded button batteries.
The first generation of Leaf electric cars sold in 2010, and now need replacement batteries. Nissan Motor Company has decided to install recycled Leaf batteries in wireless streetlights with photovoltaic panels in Namie. We are thrilled to know batteries are bringing new light to Namie this way.
The company calls this initiative ‘reborn light’, which it surely is. The first prototype tested successfully on March 26, 2018 at the Namie battery reclamation plant. Did you find the video as inspiring as we did? What a wonderful vision of delivering large-scale emergency lighting to disaster areas by air. Sure, there is still work to do but at least it has begun.
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Preview Image: Nissan via Paultan.Org
Video Share Link: https://youtu.be/3XCh2w0amm8
