| Solar power is used in Australia to power up those | | | | Years ago, I was travelling on the Nullarbor Highway |
| emergency telephones dotted along our freeways. | | | | between Perth and Adelaide when we came across |
| Between the Gold Coast and Brisbane they are | | | | a road train accident. A road train is a semi-trailer |
| strategically and conveniently placed so any motorist | | | | pulling one or two extra trailers and they can measure |
| who has a breakdown doesn't have to walk any huge | | | | 50metres long. This road train was pulling three trailers |
| distance for help if needed. | | | | and they were all full of Kimberley baby Nappies |
| These days many people have mobile (cell) phones | | | | (diapers) being transported to Perth from Melbourne. |
| but there are still a lot of people who don't have this | | | | There were white nappies littering the red soil for 100 |
| convenience so emergency phones are still urgently | | | | metres in every direction. |
| required. The traffic moves very fast along this | | | | Unfortunately the driver was badly injured. Luckily for |
| motorway and particularly at peak times there is a lot | | | | him though that another road train was not far behind |
| of traffic on that motorway. Many people live on the | | | | him and he had a Satphone and was able to call for |
| Gold Coast and commute to work in Brisbane every | | | | help. This probably saved his life because there were |
| day, so any breakdown along the motorway needs to | | | | no solar powered emergency phones anywhere along |
| be removed as soon as possible. | | | | these desolate stretches of outback roads in the early |
| Solar Panels are also used to power up emergency | | | | 90's. |
| phones in the outback of western Queensland | | | | The use of solar power on our highways, freeways |
| particularly along the Barkly Highway heading towards | | | | and motorways has probably saved countless lives. |
| the Northern Territory. Here the distances are | | | | And to think that now solar panels can be made in a |
| hundred's of kilometres between road houses so it is | | | | trade contractors shed is a wonderful step towards |
| life saving to have access to emergency assistance. | | | | energy efficiency. |