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When I came to Lesotho I brought a nice foldable solar panel. It charges using the sun, but not a lot. I currently use it to charge a small battery. I then connected the small battery to a light bulb, and this is enough to give me light at night. I figured that my eyes don’t need the extra strain of constantly trying to read and work by candle light. The whole set-up (excluding the solar panel) cost me about M175 ($25). The solar cost $300, but it was worth it. So although I am able to charge a small battery, we are looking for ways to electrify our bigger items (printer, laptop, etc.).
To bring real electricity we needed bigger 12v batteries. I got one, and the priest has one. The batteries are nice, but my little solar panel is just too small to give them a good charge. That is why we are now trying different methods of creating our own electricity. The priest had the generator which when turned puts out electricity. We hand-carved, painted, and put together the turbine panels. Today, we mounted the whole operation on the roof including putting up the support structure and wiring everything.
It took all day, but when the wind is blowing the turbine puts out between 10 and 12v of electricity. This is enough to give the bigger battery a good charge, and in turn charge a laptop once a day.
Also, the last time I was in Mohale’s Hoek the bishop gave me a big solar panel. I am mounting it on my house, and see if I can set-up a good system to get regular electricity.
It will be a challenge as I don’t know anything about wiring really, but a challenge is something I’m always up for. Andrew Dernovsek (Thabo Nohana)
1 May 2008
5 comments:
Dear Andrew,
My name is Jack and I was just invited to serve in Lesotho as an education volunteer beginning in November. I am very excited and was pleased to discover your blog today. I would also be interested in blogging while there and am currently debating what kind of technology to bring and if/how to power any electronics. I don't want to bring more than a radio, camera and perhaps a laptop. The reason I would like to bring a small laptop would be to blog and to use as a teaching tool, but only if it would be useful and practical. After being there, what do you suggest as the most useful and practical technology to bring? How did you charge your camera and laptop before you set up the wind turbine? How do you post your entries to the Internet? Perhaps, should I look into bring supplies to establish a energy source for my home/school?
Thanks
Ke hantle
Jack
(if you follow up to this comment I will get an email)
Hi Jack,
Congratulations are your invitation to Lesotho. The best advice I can give is that if you used it in the US (and you loved to use it) you will still want to use it here. I came with my laptop, iPod, radio, etc. because I figured that I would really want them while I'm here. You will certainly have those days where there is no work or you’re just frustrated and it’s great to be able to escape with an American film or TV show.
That said, I bought a Katio solar/hand crank/short wave radio. It has been very nice, and easy to charge. I also brought a hand crank flashlight, maglight and headlamp. I use all three of them for various things. I love my laptop and I use it every day for either teaching, working, writing, or just playing. I love my ipod and use it every day. I would recommend bringing something that helps you to relax and really 'escape' even if only for a few minutes. I also have re-charchable AA's and a charger for them.
I came with a brunton foldable/portable solar panel, but it really isn't that strong. Other volunteers have solar chargers specifically for their iPods or batteries.
I don't actually post my blog. I send it back in big batches and someone back home posts and edits it for me. However, most volunteers find time to post their blogs when they go into Maseru.
My recommendation would be to figure out what you want for your personal life: laptop, iPod, radio, etc. and bring that. However, some volunteers have electricity at their sites and others have energy sources close to them in their communities. I would not bring anything with you for a big energy source. I would recommend brining a small solar energy source.
I am, believe it or not, on the tech committee and am putting together a guide for PCVs in Lesotho. Lesotho gets allot of sun, and it is the best way of getting energy. You can find solar panels, inverters, and batteries here. I use an American power inverter which puts out 120w instead of the 220w of Lesotho. This might be something worth buying if you want your American devices to run and that can't operate at 120w or 220w. The guide is my next project and will be posted here https://wikisarvn.pbwiki.com/. You can also find some other good volunteer resources here.
My laptop battery is almost out, so I have to go, but please post again if you have any questions or need clarification on something.
Best Regards,
Andrew
Andrew,
Thanks for responding. Reading your blog is great because it allows me to visualize where I am going and get excited.
Thanks again!
JAck
Andrew,
I am prepping for a stint in SSA with Peace Corps and have been planning for my electrical devices off the grid. I came across your post and am interested in which Brunton Solio you ended up bringing with you to service. I have been looking into purchasing either the Solio 26 or going with the 52. I have heard that the 26 will be enough, but worry that this will be inadequate. I am also interested in the wattage on the "big" solar panel the bishop gave you to use. I suspect you are an extremely busy man, but if you get a chance, I would love to know those little details :D
Take care,
Scott
Scott,
I apologize for the late reply, I have not had regular internet access of late. To answer your question I bought the Brunton Solio 26. I’m not sure if it had a problem, but it never gave me enough electricity to charge anything beyond a small battery and my ipod. I have only been able to measure the panel the Bishop gave me in volts, and it puts out around 22v. They told me it cost around R2,000. It has been extremely reliable, and the only way I was able to charge a big car battery, which then charged my laptop.
The new panel I bought for the computer school puts out 80w, and provides more than enough electricity to run 3 computers during the day. Brunton Solio is now broken, it doesn’t have any more output. I’m not sure what the problem with it is as I cannot go inside and access the wiring.
My recommendation would be to get something small and cheap to charge your devices during training. There are many places to find solar panels in South Africa and Lesotho. I would advise seeing what your actual site is like and gauging your situation before spending $300 on a solar panel in the US. For that price you can get a very nice solar set up if you need it. You may find that in your city or community you have electricity or other means to charge your electronics. If you do not, it should be relatively easy to find solar panels. If you do follow this route, by an American power inverter and bring it with you. This will give you the 120w output instead of the 220w output of S.A.
I hope this helps and is not too late. Good luck!
Andrew
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