Solar Power for El Salvador Laurie Stone c.1992 Laurie Stone Travelling in Central America I saw an incredible need for a non-polluting, renewable energy source. Sweating under the hot sun, it was easy to see that the power and reliability of the sun could meet this need. Many Salvadorans do not have access to basic human rights such as safe drinking water, education, and health care. Solar energy could help bring these basic needs to communities which desperately need them. A simple photovoltaic system could help bring about better education through night classes and better health care through vaccine refrigeration. Solar cookers could replace wood for cooking as well as heat water to temperatures high enough to make it potable (165ø F for a half an hour). Many of the Salvadorans who fled the country during the twelve year civil war have recently decided to return home. They have returned, however, with nothing. The government has given them land without homes, water, and crops. Though these newly repatriated Salvadorans have had to start from scratch,this has not deterred them from creating incredibly well organized and peaceful societies. The repatriated communities learned a lot during their years in exile. They've learned that they would like to be completely self-sufficient. They do not want to have to rely on their government or other countries for anything. Instead of asking for clothes from international solidarity groups, the refugees asked for fabric and sewing machines. They are teaching themselves to make their own clothes. When international medical groups came to give medical care, the refugees insisted the groups teach them the medical techniques. They've learned of the benefits of running their own health clinics over continually receiving medical aid. The same goes for energy. All of the communities I visited are extremely interested in using solar energy for their electricity needs. The communities are all in remote regions of the country, and most have no access to the grid. Even a lot of the organizations in San Salvador, the capitol, which have access to grid power, are interested in photovoltaics, because the grid is very unreliable. Right now the country is on eight hour / day electricity rationing , with the threat of an increase to twelve hours / day if it does not rain. The communities not only want to use solar power but also want to learn how to install the systems themselves. They want to construct a renewable energy demonstration school in Nueva Esperanza, one of the repatriation communities. When I visited Nueva Esperanza, I was thrilled by how enthusiastic the community members are about solar energy. The school would incorporate PV systems for lighting and water pumping, solar cookers, self- composting latrines and a permaculture center. Although the project is only in its planning stages, it has generated interest from all regions of El Salvador and many groups in the United States. The idea is to have a center where members from other communities and organizations can come and learn about renewable energies and get ideas for their own projects. In addition, we are planning on teaching the women there how to build their own solar cookers so that they will be able to teach other women in the future. There are many communities which need electricity right now. Most of the communities have a community center where classes and meetings are held. Lights would mean that classes and meetings could be held at night, bringing education to many who have no time to study during the day. Seeing the need these people have for electricity, and their incredible desire to learn, it was impossible for me to come back to the States and not do something about it. I decided to try to raise money and equipment to bring as many PV systems to El Salvador as I could. There are now three of us, Ben Scott, Julia Whelan and me, with enough equipment for four PV systems. The systems consist of one panel, a couple of batteries, an inverter, a charge controller and two fluorescent lights. These lights will be enough to provide lighting to the one room community centers. A small inverter is part of the system so they can have an option of ac or DC lights, since it is difficult to know which lights will be most accessible. The panels we are using are ARCO Solar M53 modules which were donated by Craig Christensen of Boulder, Colorado. Elliot Josephson of PowerStar donated the inverters for the project, John D'Angelo of Utility Free donated a set of 112 Ampere-hour nickel iron batteries, and Solar Electric Specialties in Willits, California is donating the lighting fixtures. We are trying to raise the rest of the money for the project through private donations. We plan to travel to the different communities with a Salvadoran organization interested in appropriate technology. This organization can make routine maintenance checks after we leave the country. We will stay in each community to teach the interested community members how to install and maintain the systems. One of the PV lighting systems will be installed in Nueva Esperanza as the first step in the renewable energy demonstration school. Nueva Esperanza would also like to economically maintain the systems themselves. Eventually they would like to use their systems to generate money, so that they can buy their systems. We plan to help organize a solar battery charging operation. This would generate income for the community and lessen the environmental damage caused by throwing away thousands of batteries. Solar energy has great potential for the repatriated communities of El Salvador. Photovoltaic lighting systems will enable better education as well as generate interest in other PV applications. Applications include vaccine refrigeration and water pumping. The people of El Salvador need and want to use solar energy. Solar power can bring about a better life for people in the form of education, health care, and even basic needs such as cooking and drinking water. Hopefully, these four small systems will be the catalyst to bring solar energy to communities where it is desperately needed. Access: Author: Laurie Stone, c/o Home Power, POB 520, Ashland, OR 97520 If you would like to help this project, please send donations to Solar Community Projects, c/o Laurie Stone, 5060 Overlook Rd., NW, Washington, DC 20016.