Solar-powered boats are silently sailing through Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest

In a secluded part of the Amazon rainforest, Kara Solar’s boats snake through the Wichimi River, powered by the Ecuadorian sunshine.

In a secluded part of Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest, river transport is far more common than road travel. Here, boats glide along the Wichimi River, a wide channel that snakes through the dense foliage, and powering the silent vessels is the Ecuadorian sunshine. Five boats, each boat topped with a sleek solar-panelled roof, are being used by 12 indigenous Achuar communities across a stretch of eastern Ecuador bordering Peru. The boats have been provided by Kara Solar, a non-profit organization based in the region. Not only are the Achuar responsible for fixing, running and maintaining the boats — the solar vessels are shaping daily life for the community by offering transport for education, health services and eco-tourism. For years, many Achuar here have used gasoline-powered boats on the river, but the fuel must be flown in by plane from Ecuador’s capital, Quito, making it more expensive and adding to the carbon emissions associated with its use. “Local people (are) increasingly buying gasoline motors that use a lot of oil and contaminate the river,” said Angel Wasump, Kara Solar’s director of operations, who and a member of the Achuar community. “Since the (solar) boats arrived, families have been giving up these motors completely,” he added. Kara Solar founder Oliver Utne traveled to Ecuador from Minnesota 16 years ago after graduating college. Working at an Achuar-owned local business in a remote Amazon community, he saw firsthand the difficulties people had in accessing basic resources such as electricity and transportation. It was then Utne realized the potential for using technology as a tool for the conservation of Achuar territory and culture.