Tag: solar

Categories
Mombasa

Solar on the Brain

So after about 72 hours with no power, it’s back on!  This is the longest I’ve been without electricity since I’ve been in Mombasa, and I really missed having fans near my bed.  As a result, it was also the first time since I’ve been in Kenya that I set up my solar equipment to charge my phone and my laptop!

On a seemingly unrelated note, I’m probably going to head up to Lamu (the closest I’ll probably ever get to Somalia) soon, to help set up software at another volunteer’s school’s computer lab, which is completely solar powered!

These two things got me thinking that I should write a bit about my solar setup, since when I put it all together before leaving for Kenya, it was nearly impossible to find good practical info on how to run a laptop off of a solar kit that fits in a backpack.  Anyhow, if you’re at all curious, there’s now a “Solar Laptop” link at the top of the blog.  With any luck people will find it as useful as the “Kenyan Phone Tricks” page.

And an unrelated picture for your pleasure: from yesterday’s “Lion’s Games,” where various “Special Schools” compete at a racetrack, our school sat beside a large group of blind students—an odd pairing, for sure, with communication between students virtually impossible!

P1030502

Categories
Pre-Philly

“Haven’t you left yet?”

A valid question.  My departure date was moved to Oct. 10, so I’ve had an extra week to act like a maniac around my most loved friends and family.  Hopefully they will forgive me later for being so stressed. Currently I’m deciding what pictures and music to bring.  Tomorrow I’ll stow away the rest of my non-Kenya-bound stuff and pack up my bags.  Mostly I need to decide what NOT to bring, because I’m over the weight limit. Solar equipment works great.  I was able (before the weather got nasty) to sit outside and run my laptop completely off of the foldable panel.  Perhaps I will post a later entry on how it works… my search for real examples of similar setups came up empty, but I think people would like to know how to do it.  Beware, it involves soldering… I am also not leaving from DC anymore… it’s Philly now.  And instead of training in Embu, I’ll be training in a small town to the south of Nairobi.  Also, because I’m in the deaf ed group, we’ll be in Mombasa for the first week, which means out group gets to travel more than everyone else… pretty cool but I bet I’ll be tired of packing and unpacking by the time I finally get to my final placement, wherever that may be… Also, I can now sign the ABC’s in American Sign Language.  I learned it over lunch, so hopefully that bodes well for my KSL training.

Categories
Pre-Philly

Solar Power Mania

As a researchaholic, it is difficult to decide what to bring to Kenya.  On one hand, I have no desire to overwhelm myself and my community with amenities that make me stand out.  On the other hand, there is the possibility that I will want to further develop the e-learning software used in the deaf classes, which would require a laptop and possibly a video camera, and I want to make sure that if that opportunity arises, I can take advantage of it even if I’m in an area without reliable power.  (For that matter, I don’t want my interest in that software to inherently mean that I have to work in a urban district.) 

So… I splurged yesterday and bought some items to keep me off the grid:
-a 62w fold-able solar panel (about 3 pounds)
-a charge controller so I can hook it up to a car battery if I get one while I’m there
-a voltage limiter to so can hook it up to laptop/AA chargers, etc.
-various cords and stuff

This was no small investment (I won’t list prices but if you look these things up you’ll see), and I may feel silly if I end up in a place with reliable AC power, or I end up simply not needing my camcorder or laptop, but as a Boy Scout it’s just not an option to go unprepared.  The good news is that this stuff won’t take up much space; however, if I do use the panel, I’ll definitely be the Crazy American with all my gadgets.  I can live with that though.