Subject: SOL Cooker 1 of 3

From: [email-masked] (Scott Parks)
Date: 13 May 94 22:06:26 -0800

-=> Note:
Forwarded (from: homepowr) by Scott Parks using timEd.
Originally from Don Kulha (1:125/7.0) to All.
Original dated: May 05 '94, 10:09

El Sol Simpatico
Laurie Stone
c. 1993 Laurie Stone
Working in El Salvador opened my eyes up to a whole new world 
of renewable energy applications. Not only did we install solar 
lighting systems and teach workshops on solar ovens. We 
actually saw the results of our work, and the changes that 
solar technology made in people's lives.
Julia Whelan, Ben Scott Luna and I went to El Salvador to 
transfer some of our solar energy knowledge. With the help of 
STI, solar companies who donated equipment, and friends who 
donated money, we headed south.
Photovoltaics
We installed the first lighting system in El Sitio, a rural 
community in Cuscatlan, north of San Salvador. This 250 
member community had fled the country due to the 12 year 
civil war and have recently returned to rebuild their 
community. Needless to say, they had no electricity, and 
desperately wanted lights. Three young men from the 
community became our apprentices, and quickly learned the 
principles of solar energy and how to install the system. 
The solar system was simple, consisting of one Siemens M53 
photovoltaic module, one SCI charge controller, one lead-acid 
(unfortunately shallow cycle) battery, and two 20 Watt DC 
fluorescent lights. There are no deep cycle batteries made in El 
Salvador, and we decided it would be better to stay with local 
batteries that they can easily replace, than to import a deep 
cycle battery from the United States.
We spent a week visiting numerous hardware stores in San 
Salvador and made several phone calls for technical advice to 
STI. Then, after one full day of work, the system was installed. 
We put it on the building which acts as the health clinic, the 
school, and the community center of El Sitio. After the 
installation we gave a talk about system maintenance to the 
three responsables of the system. We also gave them a solar 
still to provide distilled water for the battery. Obtaining 
distilled water in the Salvadoran countryside is quite 
difficult.
Lights for Literacy
People were amazed when the lights actually turned on. I, 
however, was more amazed with what people did with the 
lights. The very next night adult literacy classes began. The 
illiteracy rate in El Sitio had been 95%. Many adults had 
wanted to learn to read for years, but working all day and not 
having lights at night made it nearly impossible. Now people 
from neighboring communities all around were travelling to El 
Sitio to study at night. It was amazing to see, and made us feel 
good to think that we had made a difference in people's lives. 
However, I realized that what I was doing was not that 
incredible. Anybody who knows how to install a simple PV 
system could have done what we did. The incredible thing was 
what the people were doing with the electricity. Although Ben, 
Julia and I brought the technical knowledge, the people of El 
Sitio brought the ambition and determination.

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