tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8177194658569161622024-03-12T23:00:16.140-07:00Solar MaasaiSolar Maasai is a project to bring green energy to the Maasai of Kenya. The project is coordinated by the American African Nuru Foundation and the Sunpower Foundation.Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-54985230818700487292010-03-27T20:25:00.000-07:002010-03-27T20:25:54.334-07:00Up and RunningQuick update for everyone from the last trip to the school,<br />
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The system is up and running and has been for three months now. They are using the power for all the intended uses(lights, fans, phones, etc.) plus devising new ones including shaving heads on the weekends. A few students have even started to stay at the school some nights to study and not spend hours walking back and forth from home. Here is a flick of the power room when I was there:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiYRRpn6rMePMV-Nj0Fa8B6lE6lIoUJCSlSxJiK6kQI9qllDEEgHVlrBREua7OWaaar8TF7gJngwqFua_cLefN6e2HcIUMtxfcy6HUWEO5b-pv8I24796ftzCOAXpfgH-5PEqBCgnrGE/s1600/CIMG2439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiYRRpn6rMePMV-Nj0Fa8B6lE6lIoUJCSlSxJiK6kQI9qllDEEgHVlrBREua7OWaaar8TF7gJngwqFua_cLefN6e2HcIUMtxfcy6HUWEO5b-pv8I24796ftzCOAXpfgH-5PEqBCgnrGE/s400/CIMG2439.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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As for the interns, we have some delays from our friends over at the Department of Homeland Security, they are being strict with the visas. We are going through some fundraising to try and pay for process of bringing Jonathan and Maxmillah over to the Solar Living Institute. We need $2,400 to cover the additional costs of certifying the institute to be allowed to offer an exchange visa. Please<br />
help by donating today!Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-56861719601743221352010-02-09T21:16:00.000-08:002010-02-09T21:17:09.795-08:00New documentary promo!<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9340042&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9340042&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/9340042">Solar Maasai mini documentary</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3103746">Kevin Myers</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-26174153732022175102010-01-21T10:17:00.000-08:002010-01-21T10:19:00.847-08:00Upcoming Event<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Come one, come all to the upcoming celebration.</span><br />
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</div>Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-89873780090526974022010-01-21T10:11:00.000-08:002010-01-21T11:10:04.600-08:00<div style="text-align: center;"><meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></meta><meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Generator"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Originator"></meta><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Ckmyers%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Ckmyers%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Ckmyers%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style>
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</div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">The Solar Maasai / SunPower to the People Team has returned from Maasailand with stories of a successful, yet challenging, endeavor! The Emprukel schoolhouse near Enoosaen village in rural Southwestern Kenya now has light, fans, vaccine refrigeration, computers, and electrical outlets for the first time. The school is already attracting new, credentialed teachers, more students, and the interest of Kenyan parliament as a model of future rural schoolhouse solar electrification! The school is well on its way to becoming a hub of educational excellence in this remote Maasai region of the Transmara district, and expansion plans are already underway. The US Ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger, was in attendance at the grand opening ceremony and made a personal promise to the community to fund the much needed school improvement projects of glass window installation (a rare architectural feature in this region) and the replacement of the makeshift desks which currently fill the seven classrooms. After a month-long series of close calls and unforeseen obstacles (and 18 months of planning prior to arriving in Kenya), the 5kW off-grid SunPower solar electric system has now been realized. While the system was not technically finished by the opening day celebration (inverters hadn’t yet cleared customs in Nairobi), the lights did come on when Ambassador Ranneberger received the honor of flipping the main power switch to officiate the ceremony (wheew, it was seriously close, good thing we arrived before dawn to rewire the system with a temporary inverter!). The One Million Lights foundation was also in attendance to present solar powered LED lanterns to each mother of an Emprukel school student!</span></span><br />
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</style><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Emprukel valley illuminated at night for the first time. Taken from the adjacent hilltop, the spots of light are LED lanterns spread across the valley, and the long strip of light in the middle is the illuminated schoolhouse in the distance.</span></span><br />
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</style><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">During our stay in Kenya, we also led a month-long PV training intensive and graduated 17 solar technicians from the village and surrounding area. The top female and top male students – based on final exam scores, solar enthusiasm, dedication to the project, and demonstration of leadership in the community – were awarded with internship positions at Northern California’s pioneering solar school and demonstration site, the Solar Living Institue in Hopland. We look forward to returning to the village in March to tune the system, install the remaining monitoring equipment, and pick up the internship recipients, Jonathan Ntuitiai and Maxmillah Nairesiai. See video, "The Next Phase - Education" below for an introduction to Jonathan and Maxmillah.</span><u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><u1:p></u1:p></span><br />
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<div id="refHTML"></div>Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-38702102060088899312010-01-16T15:47:00.000-08:002010-01-16T15:57:13.754-08:00The next phase: EducationDear Solar Maasai Supporters,<br /><br />As you know, we trained, tested and graduated students in solar and electrical while working in Kenya. However, this is not the end of the road for our brave scholars. Two of them, one female and one male, were chosen for their exceptional performance, great attitude and solid character to pursue further education. This education comes in the form of attending the Solar Living Institute, the training and demonstration site that both Kevin and I originally learned the ropes of renewable and sustainable practices from. Now these two amazing Maasai are getting the opportunity to attend. Their names are Maxmillah and Jonathan and this video, produced by random pictures, introduces them better than I can.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8782975&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=ff001a&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8782975&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=ff001a&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/8782975">Solar Massai - Meet The Interns</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user436446">Random Pictures</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br />They will be starting their program in early March, so keep a look out for a chance to meet them. They will in California for nine months so there will definitely be events where they will be around. Also stay tuned for our next event coming up on the 30th of this month, more info later this week.<br /><br />Ashe Oleng,<br />BarrettSolar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-70608869769668483942010-01-02T12:30:00.000-08:002010-01-02T13:48:48.473-08:00A New Star is Born<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dhWIXeWMdU2pCg9MJ5W0CqEl3lUtERwNj5QRZslC3e4dO95OvjeGmblPCe2Xpxn7MiODRdVUtFPcFcMOqBCHf-1ng0xqCGVYnNlZXVmuYuhNu7YP9Q7N01WkWy-E4Tz98RsoG8dtQ9U/s1600-h/IMG_5378.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dhWIXeWMdU2pCg9MJ5W0CqEl3lUtERwNj5QRZslC3e4dO95OvjeGmblPCe2Xpxn7MiODRdVUtFPcFcMOqBCHf-1ng0xqCGVYnNlZXVmuYuhNu7YP9Q7N01WkWy-E4Tz98RsoG8dtQ9U/s400/IMG_5378.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422245359408205506" border="0" /></a><br />Can you identify the picture above?<br />Is it the night sky? The deep sea?<br /><br />No, its Emprukel Primary school from the adjacent ridge at night.<br /><br />That's right, the valley is lit for the first time. The central longer light is the school<br />building and the outlying lights are the solar lanterns distributed to the households.<br />Thanks to our friends in Kenya, at Sunpower and at One Million Lights, this remote<br />community is well illuminated as never before. You can't hear the cheers in this picture<br />but I can assure you that from where it was taken, you can hear the excitement.<br /><br />The solar install is complete now, the team members have all returned to the their<br />respective homes for the holidays. After having checked in, everyone is in good health<br />and spirit and grateful for experience.<br /><br />I personally would like to thank everyone involved, the thousands of hands that went into<br />making this project what it is and will continue to be for this community.<br /><br />Its not over though!<br />We still have a documentary to be launched, 2 students from the village to bring back to<br />solar training here in the states and more families and schools to help! We also have to<br />wish Kimeli well as he departs at the end of next month for his studies in Australia.<br />So 2010 looks as busy as ever for our team and the various organizations in involved.<br /><br />Thanks again to all of our sponsors and supporters that made this all possible.<br /><br />Stay tuned for the film being edited currently by random pictures. I will post and email<br />our email list when its ready.<br /><br />Assante Sana,<br />BarrettSolar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-52842681147583027222009-12-04T23:03:00.001-08:002009-12-05T12:17:38.969-08:00Video Blog, Week 2 - part 1<object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7992907&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7992907&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/7992907">Solar Maasai Week 2 part 1</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user586513">Michael Goode</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br />the next installment of the short documentary series.Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-8128591100952676302009-11-30T09:52:00.001-08:002010-01-21T10:43:52.234-08:00First week of the install<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffSaQmGfVs_fp84D6VfukoZ5Y0dKxaGj6YZOhc_mux5eLzsHYbLTqBGidu6h_wo9M7a9SuGzsYXakwkfSwIrZsmtfjzS7upyRNY8orRjOEIeHu2SqDfNhCKPRkkKawKec3cjWsFkkXyw/s1600/emprukel+landscape.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409958930282202466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffSaQmGfVs_fp84D6VfukoZ5Y0dKxaGj6YZOhc_mux5eLzsHYbLTqBGidu6h_wo9M7a9SuGzsYXakwkfSwIrZsmtfjzS7upyRNY8orRjOEIeHu2SqDfNhCKPRkkKawKec3cjWsFkkXyw/s400/emprukel+landscape.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 578px;" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">First, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with their families, and we were certainly thinking of ours, as we completed the array install and finished the day with the normal Kenyan meal of ugali, goat, and rice. Second, my apologies for not getting this out sooner! It’s been very busy since our arrival in the village last weekend, rarely a moment to connect to the internet or sit alone long enough to write an update. Everyone is intrigued by our visit here, especially to welcome Kimeli’s return and his accompanying “mzungus” (Barret, Geoffrey, Michael, and I), so there has been a steady stream of local friends, villagers, and elders making the trek (usually miles by foot) to come visit with us. </span></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our journey from Nariobi to Enoosaen village began 2 Fridays ago, November 20<sup>t</sup><sup>h</sup>, after we unexpectedly experienced 4 days of delay clearing our shipment of PV equipment from the States through customs in Mombasa. On the 4<sup>th</sup> day of delay, we were told by our freight forwarder to meet at their Nairobi warehouse, 9:00 AM, to pick up our goods. Upon our arrival, we were told that the truck would be arriving in 10 minutes. So we waited “10 more minutes” again and again for 4 hours, finally demanding a search party go out and track down the truck. Since the drivers weren’t responsive to the managers’ calls, the growing theory between both our crew and Jihan Freighters was that the drivers had taken our gear hostage for ransom. This may sound absurd, but we<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2eblHykETLjNG4N1K0RmyiDqLDxeMkZ7ZIf-81HowtstthJEDB4qSDyrh-3Tc2dGp4uzUrwfW7318UTcOx14khXJIzBRf3ePm6V8nJs401YVptaB0PR3Ruxi_6opn-8xNUtnAHFTB1E/s1600/Finally+arrives+from+customs.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409970737498290962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2eblHykETLjNG4N1K0RmyiDqLDxeMkZ7ZIf-81HowtstthJEDB4qSDyrh-3Tc2dGp4uzUrwfW7318UTcOx14khXJIzBRf3ePm6V8nJs401YVptaB0PR3Ruxi_6opn-8xNUtnAHFTB1E/s320/Finally+arrives+from+customs.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a> were duly warned about this and other forms of corruption being rampant throughout Kenya. Twenty minutes after Barrett and the Jihan representative left in pursuit, the box truck came bouncing in the pot-holed, eroded dirt driveway. Naturally, our crates were at the front of the truck, so we waited some more while every other piece of cargo, non-crated, were removed individually by hand. By the time our crates were ready for unloading, we had become calloused to the reckless driving of the warehouse forklift driver, and were eager to have our equipment tranferred into our truck for the cross-country trek to rural Enoosaen. </span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGdOQOXX4P65HIUDrNB5lQV74asMGCiX1X_UVkyA-6WvP5ZnflF7iWJuU880hXdhdsw9MH16Z2WaOA0Qego9r51c3BMx8iiQ6o0PrREwYr2E6Ksf7rjCqU2pNZ5hiS8yCc43jk22SI2I/s1600/broken.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409971895491963842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGdOQOXX4P65HIUDrNB5lQV74asMGCiX1X_UVkyA-6WvP5ZnflF7iWJuU880hXdhdsw9MH16Z2WaOA0Qego9r51c3BMx8iiQ6o0PrREwYr2E6Ksf7rjCqU2pNZ5hiS8yCc43jk22SI2I/s400/broken.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 291px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 350px;" /></a>The boxes were unloaded, and almost everything looked good. There was a gash in the top of the heavily wrapped module pallet, and upon further inspection we realized that a crate had been carelessly maneuvered onto the top of our “DO NOT STACK” module pallet, damaging the top module. The irreplaceable 12 volt compatible SPR-90 (SunPower stopped producing in 2008), brought along to provide power for our tools and camera equipment throughout the installation, was irreparably damaged – no, <i>smashed</i>. As the forklift driver quickly swooped up the rest of the pallet to load onto our truck, we stood paralyzed as he placed the pallet partially into the truck, tilted the forks up to reposition, and used a purely Nairobi-forklift-driver maneuver to use the module pallet to push 3 pallets stacked behind it beyond the threshold of the rear cargo door. The resulting crunching sound could only be the tips of his forks protruding up through the bottom of the pallet into the glass laminate of the bottom module in the stack.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">Kudos to Alyssa Newman, Director of the SunPower Foundation, for scoring the extra 2 modules for our project, <i>just in case</i>. Safe.</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenaXaWFfJ8NxgUU5ib1GhR5B9xvYmWPe9w7sqfvY9edqAU5bd_rUNFluPiITVmpVRyoPOG1_yFOtrkCzKMsbaCsulI8Vzkn4zSt1eAIypjvpP6kimMGJ0vYZNJyX0D-Cw9xLwtxKZTBQ/s1600/Stuck.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409973127036462130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenaXaWFfJ8NxgUU5ib1GhR5B9xvYmWPe9w7sqfvY9edqAU5bd_rUNFluPiITVmpVRyoPOG1_yFOtrkCzKMsbaCsulI8Vzkn4zSt1eAIypjvpP6kimMGJ0vYZNJyX0D-Cw9xLwtxKZTBQ/s400/Stuck.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 243px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 324px;" /></a></span><span style="font-size: small;">We left Jihan Freighters about 5 hours after our arrival there and headed to our local electrical sub-contractor to pick up the “load-side” equipment - all the lights, fans, switches, outlets, and misc. wiring gear we decided to source locally (for the purposes of local compatibility and serviceability). Luckily, this hand-off went according to plan and we were off on our 8 hour drive to Enoosaen.</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">We arrived at Jackon’s home, Kimeli’s brother, in Enoosaen at about 2 AM on Saturday morning, took a rest for a few hours, then proceeded to move the truck as close to the school as possible before moving the 2 tons of equipment the rest of the way by hand and foot. Facing challenges every step of the way – including an ominous mud pit (yes, we got stuck), we were able to get the truck within about a kilometer from the school.</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our arrival spurred an enthusiastic <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jLgbmNP1R2USrGe3jK7TvnAArimjPcNMUOQWmWIHxcEO7eBubUvHrWAtczsedk2Jauv5S_IKIy5AWbnsxEcnuhnal9X7bE94EXJq-4Ebmkr3oC4RuU4tVjFsnwjkTvzt5z8-EWRfhkM/s1600/Screen+shot+2009-11-22+at+9.32.23+AM.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409973737116777170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jLgbmNP1R2USrGe3jK7TvnAArimjPcNMUOQWmWIHxcEO7eBubUvHrWAtczsedk2Jauv5S_IKIy5AWbnsxEcnuhnal9X7bE94EXJq-4Ebmkr3oC4RuU4tVjFsnwjkTvzt5z8-EWRfhkM/s320/Screen+shot+2009-11-22+at+9.32.23+AM.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 207px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 365px;" /></a>welcome, and the students and villagers managed to transport the entire contents of the truck the final uphill kilometer in less than an hour. Many hands do make quick work, as long as they’re well organized. We spent the next several days working out kinks in the organization of our installation crew – 20 local twenty-somethings, trained for the prior 3 weeks by Barrett Raftery (using a brilliant off-grid solar design/install curriculum developed by SunPower’s own Mark Mrohs, specifically targeted for rural village technicians). After a bit of trial and error, we managed to sculpt the team into a venerable construction crew, led by Construction Manager extraordinaire, and SunPower RLC Commercial System Inspector, Geoffrey Shuey. With this team, we could easily stay in Kenya and start the first African SunPower Dealer!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvK7ERSVpRMcJ-_yxi3LnvdN_2FcN7PpynxKjzacesQz7EoZPHIkmTEnhFaC-_X5hm5UxeJiPwYO-hEa2JAmUZwsTawhwYEiJdvyv2YCe_6uCaZZFChDFMpfdUQ84v-liwU0a4phUdtH0/s1600/Our+solar+power+station+for+tools.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409974552718474210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvK7ERSVpRMcJ-_yxi3LnvdN_2FcN7PpynxKjzacesQz7EoZPHIkmTEnhFaC-_X5hm5UxeJiPwYO-hEa2JAmUZwsTawhwYEiJdvyv2YCe_6uCaZZFChDFMpfdUQ84v-liwU0a4phUdtH0/s320/Our+solar+power+station+for+tools.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a><i>Disclaimer: the following paragraph may be a bit technical for some readers, my apologies in advance! <o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">It turns out that it is possible to use a 40+ volt SunPower module in a 24 volt battery/inverter off-grid system, we learned this out of necessity. When we lost our SPR-90 module back at Jihan, we knew we would have to improvise with the charging of our cordless power tool batteries. After we blew out the battery chargers of each of the afore mentioned cordless drills - in a series of disconnected follies (lesson: more than a 50 watt step down transformer should be used when powering a 120V cordless drill battery charger with a 230V supply) - we had to step up our creative solution generation machine. We rented a 24 Vdc, 230Vac battery inverter and a 230V corded drill </span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">from Nariobi, and carefully wired 2 parallel SPR-230s to only utilize 2 of the 3 cell strings (caution: this may void module warranties!), giving us ~28 volts – enough to push current onto the 24Vdc system. Manually charge controlling by disconnecting and reconnecting the PV inputs by hand when the battery reached certain voltage trigger points, we were able to bleed off any surface-cell-polarization by connecting the positive leads to ground when the modules were “floating.” And this, my eco-conscious, solar friends, is how we avoided using a petrol generator to power the installation of the Emprukel school PV system </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: small;">J</span><span style="font-size: small;">.</span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wr1NiOkAUlCXK0AOMzZr9HTEhgXIWl-EVs3-Z4uYpg_IhZDTjeHWU-sMFz_s0xvxLmZPyhPx1Aq6VeZOIZYlp6e0vPdscJ44CaOSWRDWkygOQeBaJSVuuuqEGK2Et-uxyL9n-_QVfIw/s1600/IMG_3007.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409975743964999586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wr1NiOkAUlCXK0AOMzZr9HTEhgXIWl-EVs3-Z4uYpg_IhZDTjeHWU-sMFz_s0xvxLmZPyhPx1Aq6VeZOIZYlp6e0vPdscJ44CaOSWRDWkygOQeBaJSVuuuqEGK2Et-uxyL9n-_QVfIw/s320/IMG_3007.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 407px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 305px;" /></a>We worked through some more challenges last week, including a shortage of hangar bolts for roof array mounting, the loss of 32 GB of choreographed group photos and documentary video footage, and daily afternoon rain showers, to name a few. </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">We did, however, manage to successfully install the solar array, battery bank, lights, fans, switches, outlets, and associated wiring. This week, we are crossing our fingers that our inverters will make it out of Germany, clear customs, then make the trek from Nairobi to Enoosaen in time to be installed and operational by our December 5<sup>th</sup> grand opening. </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">It’s going to be close, but synchronicity has been on our side this far along and we’re hoping for the best. </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">We will also be making finishing touches on the system and spending time reviewing the training materials with our local technician team. We have prepared an O<i>ff-grid PV Design and Installation</i> course certificate for the team to provide them with credentials for entering the growing Kenyan solar industry. The program includes 4 weeks training, including 2 complete installs - the 5kW school install and a small, single panel, DC system for the caretaker’s home, concluded by a final examination we will be administering this Wednesday. They have completely surpassed our expectations and we are confident we will be graduating 20 new solar technicians this week!</span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kebAG9cyODW7GXil7HOGBlrDpdRLVhxwep0sDlhK97FWnJArvxNqvoT2hcRiyKPa852bMsjogLWKrNKGQcwyKQ68la478E3G56953HjOGKtjPmB3K0pcvYHWQhJdeRhLbkUz6f6JMO8/s1600/IMG_4001adj+resize.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409977629306369682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kebAG9cyODW7GXil7HOGBlrDpdRLVhxwep0sDlhK97FWnJArvxNqvoT2hcRiyKPa852bMsjogLWKrNKGQcwyKQ68la478E3G56953HjOGKtjPmB3K0pcvYHWQhJdeRhLbkUz6f6JMO8/s400/IMG_4001adj+resize.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 334px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 501px;" /></a></span><br />
</div>Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-35817872192628435832009-11-20T07:35:00.000-08:002009-11-20T07:56:59.634-08:00Video Blog, Week 1 - First Installment of the Documentary SeriesThe first installment of the Solar Maasai Project's weekly short documenatary series introduces us to the different sides of Nairobi, Barrett seeks out the right printer to produce the certificates to give to the graduates of the Solar Training, and visits Mombasa to await the shipment of the solar panels. All in preparation for the rest of the team's arrival...<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7718189&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7718189&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/7718189">Solar Maasai Week 1</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user586513">Michael Goode</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br />These shorts are edited series showcasing the work that Solar Maasai has completed in the previous week, therefore, are not necessarily the most current news of the project. They will be updated on a weekly basis, but there is some delay from when things happen to the finished video.<br /><br />Have a sunny week!Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-44711418478666000452009-11-15T19:14:00.000-08:002009-11-15T20:12:35.963-08:00A special video update<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dytrWlYfV7tAH6nuU5BXcA8CKSxq9T-Dndh29l3gPsKCbse6tSNhw-ykLxr0Vf_TtkIPwJsYUC7TXFnav4UDw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Our first internally produced video update. Watch out<br />for another later this week.Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-25746533238117860352009-11-12T00:12:00.000-08:002009-11-18T18:03:33.792-08:00Final touchesThe community puts a few final touches on Emprukel Primary School before the solar shipment arrives.<br /><div><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2aLv4kZw6Iuw2MZPZGSYhY61OYWJFMBAH17aFeP1DfZhgYRWYESaD_HMCbQwY2PIuC8360fQOqxTM7g2F8FjAsO-5M20jCzVGWV7pfD4OL0Gdeq1hkSbDTpiii2svxK5ilwaHQmy7Y8/s1600/Kenya09+992.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405627753111580050" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2aLv4kZw6Iuw2MZPZGSYhY61OYWJFMBAH17aFeP1DfZhgYRWYESaD_HMCbQwY2PIuC8360fQOqxTM7g2F8FjAsO-5M20jCzVGWV7pfD4OL0Gdeq1hkSbDTpiii2svxK5ilwaHQmy7Y8/s320/Kenya09+992.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0mk0119k8L75icDRbXr5QpHoy6Y69ozYpvEqt3uwTkGiv3NubbSViCuHjnDMykqGAs6v0-DbVIaEDUc9T7Yqqad39TbD-RL5-Jt19NR7LZep6wxvMWcLwT3jv-IpQqi84ooiKJkAKsg/s1600/Kenya09+1002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405627425173146498" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0mk0119k8L75icDRbXr5QpHoy6Y69ozYpvEqt3uwTkGiv3NubbSViCuHjnDMykqGAs6v0-DbVIaEDUc9T7Yqqad39TbD-RL5-Jt19NR7LZep6wxvMWcLwT3jv-IpQqi84ooiKJkAKsg/s320/Kenya09+1002.jpg" border="0" /></a> <br /><br /> Left to right: Securing a room for the batteries, receiving input from the elders. </div>Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-27121576761957961002009-11-10T11:26:00.000-08:002009-11-12T00:02:48.306-08:00down time<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30KaMsbIESiqeqe9EAlJ7gQOjh4WXF-T7fbtb2sWeyfHMFUlVxsnQmZmetOd9FOohAQ_SHS9vtwCrTT77URYXoFmLZPDLRAb8JcBImeOG48ftEHA0AFrlfF7Quv9SN_5vyp-mUjdynC0/s1600-h/Kenya09+805.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402977532596353234" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30KaMsbIESiqeqe9EAlJ7gQOjh4WXF-T7fbtb2sWeyfHMFUlVxsnQmZmetOd9FOohAQ_SHS9vtwCrTT77URYXoFmLZPDLRAb8JcBImeOG48ftEHA0AFrlfF7Quv9SN_5vyp-mUjdynC0/s400/Kenya09+805.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /> It's interesting to see how children entertain themselves in the absence of television and video games. Creative energy abounds. To the right, the kids (and I) play in some beans.<br /> Granted, the usual means of entertainment seem dull in the presence of mzungus (swahili for white folk), who seem to be a never ending source of entertainment. We look funny, we talk funny, we dress funny and we're enthralled by the simplest of things-like sunsets.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />But really, look at these-<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEK4CDsmL4DJiC68lvNL6rJp0gbWMZdXcLz9sLxflLd6HfakOV6BRlBhI1K9sNhCpzXT-Ks6aQISehCKg-awlumgE14wHi__4Jyj8z2wNfXZOMq2QEuUhAOmA6s-0qneBEzsoRbCV30g/s1600-h/Kenya09+306.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402962305158214962" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEK4CDsmL4DJiC68lvNL6rJp0gbWMZdXcLz9sLxflLd6HfakOV6BRlBhI1K9sNhCpzXT-Ks6aQISehCKg-awlumgE14wHi__4Jyj8z2wNfXZOMq2QEuUhAOmA6s-0qneBEzsoRbCV30g/s320/Kenya09+306.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYm0CStcYYmSBgVglKe38JGN4P0ZoOQxjYOibVoQykMUytieL77NSI0fNePCE3NXOQqLO7-5kpcexJzXk03zsIpq9ac3aW0DH9QfX29ZbzXuOpC7Or0BhwGzwTq-wiKdodPodtdzdgog/s1600-h/Kenya09+684+copy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402973334579766146" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYm0CStcYYmSBgVglKe38JGN4P0ZoOQxjYOibVoQykMUytieL77NSI0fNePCE3NXOQqLO7-5kpcexJzXk03zsIpq9ac3aW0DH9QfX29ZbzXuOpC7Or0BhwGzwTq-wiKdodPodtdzdgog/s400/Kenya09+684+copy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjRL7Fn3XWI1WAEbzGuAJtizjnnJNAWOub2pEeraltwD-QJIxJzjaYbIiWigjGNJYn_RidghqaTZJ_XZfGzVMuv4v6xQIFCbDj9fG8yda1hZGmExx5MQTtdwAELGIGPEukqr4bZ_kYjJ8/s1600-h/Kenya09+678.jpg"></a></div><div></div><div>I just don't see that everyday. </div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-66678596058745769992009-11-05T00:08:00.000-08:002009-11-05T00:26:22.297-08:00Lets not forget about class!<div><div>The first segment of class was a great success! We rounded out the end of last week with a party to celebrate everyone's hard work and dedication. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400530428231608162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZn0i0x1VfwX0VvZzwpGhyphenhyphenA32BVhdezZ_DiOUfYNrzVyxdNCIsUkHcR33a_r6LXafNzsj91paqOUqiC8lHe8fanDio7gbrzLL7hgBwsJiwe7ahiBTwoyNiOCRBTrd6_KPSVpbs3dTDxr4/s400/Kenya09+1084.jpg" border="0" /></div></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400531820899617058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSueERPCOroAOOUJvm_dNEEOHYWD1DK3Ns1HacZAmY0siFbH0Zrf8Ayv7Ow8NE3TOh5zYZdtfh4AAFMuXeMyEWr-OCJNugjQirRf8EJr-sXu9mNAQlgQAdgk7ma-wMDxbYxo-0LzSwCwE/s320/Kenya09+1087.jpg" border="0" /> Fresh goat and banana! (When I say fresh I mean slaughtered for the occasion in the previous hour)Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-78542119726794189492009-11-04T18:35:00.000-08:002009-11-05T00:32:40.522-08:00Smiles for miles<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsX1Vp6J04mQU0wvPw3BhBwcjY-_9TsFuTb0lIX6lz3ID8v-Vi_puAIO2iiQPACH5b3D8GVL74VbsweJV5iGWc3dxmS0eaF0aO77M0InUn0Sb91tTH2pEkF3XNe5PRjjxa6yb1ejB01E/s1600-h/Kenya09+520.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400502978958449090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsX1Vp6J04mQU0wvPw3BhBwcjY-_9TsFuTb0lIX6lz3ID8v-Vi_puAIO2iiQPACH5b3D8GVL74VbsweJV5iGWc3dxmS0eaF0aO77M0InUn0Sb91tTH2pEkF3XNe5PRjjxa6yb1ejB01E/s320/Kenya09+520.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Upon greeting the people of Enoosaen, I've encountered some of the biggest and brightest smiles imaginable. The frequency of greeting is much higher than in the United States, but at no cost to quality. I find it very refreshing how authentically happy people are to converse with one another. When they pass eachother in the streets, they make sure to stop, allowing enough time to properly greet one another- be it a handshake, hug or the submission of one's head to an elder for blessing. Smiles here have been of particular interest to me for a few different reasons. Their intensity and obvious beauty being first and foremost, second comes the sharp contrast to the serious default demeanor of Africans in general. If you've ever heard the saying "black people don't smile in pictures", my guess is it's partly attributed to the frequency of serious facial expressions. Until you actually approach someone for conversation, you might even think they wanted nothing <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gjpdwtAJHpcjJTEnRTZ1EpDH4bJmb47HgXzNiYVGVCcb3ggFap3s6d7ifqosQjFygkqNTNzBCBVZp1wbY9dTLwi6qYmLJLTUBd_Xk0PoMN7ZYSOkctpFeAhl5_Lf-P6426x98CRNyJY/s1600-h/Kenya09+960.jpg"></a>to do with you. This is hardly the case.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnpe1Xg_9BCuBvYEg3h8UbWrFYj8D6fqR6AzZ8DrjXnKxHjP4YArD70qn-QOzkZtnhb5UcMakENYjT_2dAZ-Y6Quy4lDku0N43SsFxULM-lEDvngW45MRQGpSr61-wW-5g4K-BrTEvYc/s1600-h/maxmilla+serious.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400522606673891602" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 313px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnpe1Xg_9BCuBvYEg3h8UbWrFYj8D6fqR6AzZ8DrjXnKxHjP4YArD70qn-QOzkZtnhb5UcMakENYjT_2dAZ-Y6Quy4lDku0N43SsFxULM-lEDvngW45MRQGpSr61-wW-5g4K-BrTEvYc/s320/maxmilla+serious.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75SqG6_n6tR_QrnaJ4r_jdQ5O9lz3NrQbb5dsTj-NETnvUfGpGzC-7yayxIm0II9Zj-Eu7f9vhaCCje_DYgKF0iGpy4HttCGPNqdOItAbhaNS567tJ5qLLK3dBudfhup9tOX12DoiScs/s1600-h/maxmilla+smile.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400522837356183122" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 317px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75SqG6_n6tR_QrnaJ4r_jdQ5O9lz3NrQbb5dsTj-NETnvUfGpGzC-7yayxIm0II9Zj-Eu7f9vhaCCje_DYgKF0iGpy4HttCGPNqdOItAbhaNS567tJ5qLLK3dBudfhup9tOX12DoiScs/s320/maxmilla+smile.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ueGCMpSmfHUCKcm4GUzfRP_s1OG0Cbl-YMsF9C_G5EqPgnsJnC_vk43hfiIWaGds5ZbP3vai2msejgkIM05O9MpKgIXU9iXeGuhZa-8jiV7bTLNQXnlwk7RvzQbqzEKx30R6gnsFApk/s1600-h/Kenya09+960.jpg"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ueGCMpSmfHUCKcm4GUzfRP_s1OG0Cbl-YMsF9C_G5EqPgnsJnC_vk43hfiIWaGds5ZbP3vai2msejgkIM05O9MpKgIXU9iXeGuhZa-8jiV7bTLNQXnlwk7RvzQbqzEKx30R6gnsFApk/s1600-h/Kenya09+960.jpg"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOX11jOuEkf8ZSLfolCArYzavJTLuf_je5xc1id7yrLhfO3BMRpXscXbi8HpaXFaZCHf8s8vxaOWH-rrzP03cdV79WUxgGAOVJHAmz5e0euY954MQOPWW374Ydg1TeBFA3BE0DdFsa49w/s1600-h/maxmilla+serious.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CaTXcPYK_zBcPMZGEt2md-NSY6ruFIoqlmoxXXaCTXA1DTYAqVmyBeVuDloDru2xItQU158EBFOwjweimT-uI9rhCBMhL9cZoRvFdlFO5OXrRmpNBR07YsJ0QrrEKPay5mvOYS7exO8/s1600-h/maxmilla+smile.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ueGCMpSmfHUCKcm4GUzfRP_s1OG0Cbl-YMsF9C_G5EqPgnsJnC_vk43hfiIWaGds5ZbP3vai2msejgkIM05O9MpKgIXU9iXeGuhZa-8jiV7bTLNQXnlwk7RvzQbqzEKx30R6gnsFApk/s1600-h/Kenya09+960.jpg"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ueGCMpSmfHUCKcm4GUzfRP_s1OG0Cbl-YMsF9C_G5EqPgnsJnC_vk43hfiIWaGds5ZbP3vai2msejgkIM05O9MpKgIXU9iXeGuhZa-8jiV7bTLNQXnlwk7RvzQbqzEKx30R6gnsFApk/s1600-h/Kenya09+960.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ueGCMpSmfHUCKcm4GUzfRP_s1OG0Cbl-YMsF9C_G5EqPgnsJnC_vk43hfiIWaGds5ZbP3vai2msejgkIM05O9MpKgIXU9iXeGuhZa-8jiV7bTLNQXnlwk7RvzQbqzEKx30R6gnsFApk/s1600-h/Kenya09+960.jpg"></a><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400525667592932370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejQC-180Ajf3YyU84TdyaqkL2JLIC0nkeqJ7hMG3rhfWImHyfCE7u6EUHcaFLdC_UFR_WdoQjHUNYItfgnuQE_mJbWV5CaEjL4aKQY9eSgclfL80WUI-gdxXFeWgYIU7FkRDnelkxB_o/s320/Kenya09+960.jpg" border="0" />Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-68328835736027009932009-11-02T11:58:00.000-08:002009-11-02T12:23:56.210-08:00Passing through the Mara<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBLqkZ-JBQnnuY2LlQU5OMIIQkJwu_eRdPYYWI_QPZ8ms9mCRJ0nfZriXryzc87KDgWm9wPNjzbb172t5jDSlf86wutRf3sV07xCe4oZ4y0rlT07E32caq95Hz9bPy82gwiIjIMDBcuc/s1600-h/CIMG1041.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBLqkZ-JBQnnuY2LlQU5OMIIQkJwu_eRdPYYWI_QPZ8ms9mCRJ0nfZriXryzc87KDgWm9wPNjzbb172t5jDSlf86wutRf3sV07xCe4oZ4y0rlT07E32caq95Hz9bPy82gwiIjIMDBcuc/s400/CIMG1041.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399602135600267698" border="0" /></a><br />So a few days ago we were passing through the Maasai Mara, which is the biggest game park in the world. We happened to come by a few supporters of the project.<br /><br /><br /><br />We also almost gotten eaten by lions, no joke! The car got stuck and we were surrounded by at least four lions maybe more. But we made it through safely and are now safely back in Nairobi securing supplies and awaiting the arrival of the rest of the team.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-Zw6qV19tCUSjzcYV_EJp69UfXCwtJZ4DaIqMPg5xYvFyHIqa9KK3i94KOZiiTuT8OUk04kpdMMow-q9kwPU-IOcRqxVNiB7YQadw-ra2WNLBzB0cXYXGS-cqCQtPv6vRSmQ_tQLdqI/s1600-h/CIMG1022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-Zw6qV19tCUSjzcYV_EJp69UfXCwtJZ4DaIqMPg5xYvFyHIqa9KK3i94KOZiiTuT8OUk04kpdMMow-q9kwPU-IOcRqxVNiB7YQadw-ra2WNLBzB0cXYXGS-cqCQtPv6vRSmQ_tQLdqI/s400/CIMG1022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399603034278585234" border="0" /></a>Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-6457286664623375412009-10-28T09:23:00.000-07:002009-10-28T11:23:28.428-07:00The Sky Opens Up<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYDI-p8noir4SpXSPl2HNVzn62s9CkcwPdEKQTO59QBlBDArcEMG9BmSxarT1oG1e0flng-quqq6h7XxSYjsNLxfuVfRImdvGd_ZJEGeQlBZ2T4VnloBUa5a0OFntR0i0Sw4ZRx_UCyc/s1600-h/skyopensup.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYDI-p8noir4SpXSPl2HNVzn62s9CkcwPdEKQTO59QBlBDArcEMG9BmSxarT1oG1e0flng-quqq6h7XxSYjsNLxfuVfRImdvGd_ZJEGeQlBZ2T4VnloBUa5a0OFntR0i0Sw4ZRx_UCyc/s400/skyopensup.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397693744214144482" border="0"></a><br /><br /><br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; 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Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><font size="2">A thousand prayers were answered this evening when rain finally came to Enosean. A few quick taps on the tin roof quickly turned into a downpour as Barrett and his solar students paused for a moment to give thanks.</font><font style="" size="2"> </font><font size="2">Jackson, the man of our host house, was days away from losing his entire crop due to draught.</font><font style="" size="2"> </font><font size="2">As his major source of income- an idea introduced to the Maasai in the last 100 years- this would have been detrimental to his health and that of his families’.</font><font style="" size="2"> </font><font size="2">I walked outside to get a taste of my first Kenyan rain, and as I looked up I noticed that it looked as if the sky had actually opened up to deliver us this precious gift.</font><font style="" size="2"> </font><font size="2">Today, October 28, we breathe a long sigh of relief.<br /></font><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjOlUzsm5CPJt8T5MzVFVyqwBVMcnoVNQLqJxZp3UuWLNzeheq0IUN_n6ZMicBuQmVXGVXntwqtCGO2alQrKWvpyN6PS11Js60IXwmmndAxl6HRJXT14scvUGuktGhiaBgUDVJHQuxGA/s1600-h/donkeyrain.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjOlUzsm5CPJt8T5MzVFVyqwBVMcnoVNQLqJxZp3UuWLNzeheq0IUN_n6ZMicBuQmVXGVXntwqtCGO2alQrKWvpyN6PS11Js60IXwmmndAxl6HRJXT14scvUGuktGhiaBgUDVJHQuxGA/s400/donkeyrain.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397694656554028450" border="0"> </a><br /> Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-30280860148307453602009-10-27T00:50:00.000-07:002009-10-27T02:02:19.948-07:00We love the kids!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxcxDAJpCvs0gPsZqhzYOc2-U8Qizl5UJ5_dtB0iSPmqRJ2h8eKUuPlEzYdrdgfx1sz3u5ynkaEGWinyPXhnAsuCOfmHOT48bIz_lmLF7-zDFonSj5DQJCupxNb_FvWM-5jOpJuLN1tg/s1600-h/IMG_4792.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxcxDAJpCvs0gPsZqhzYOc2-U8Qizl5UJ5_dtB0iSPmqRJ2h8eKUuPlEzYdrdgfx1sz3u5ynkaEGWinyPXhnAsuCOfmHOT48bIz_lmLF7-zDFonSj5DQJCupxNb_FvWM-5jOpJuLN1tg/s320/IMG_4792.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397190205321092962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4GNMbk84d_AnCONjjzqugCvwWq2sQScanDgparmIBZZB9uP7z79jf7iin8dtmdzkiqHK0qiKO3NjgrfNg3KakoywzUoSSXAgEjshLQRCnvdpfU9mF6YOZjYDjZXOFDKZ7btEplXUIqs/s1600-h/IMG_5108.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4GNMbk84d_AnCONjjzqugCvwWq2sQScanDgparmIBZZB9uP7z79jf7iin8dtmdzkiqHK0qiKO3NjgrfNg3KakoywzUoSSXAgEjshLQRCnvdpfU9mF6YOZjYDjZXOFDKZ7btEplXUIqs/s320/IMG_5108.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397188685611975778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2wDkj3m3eQdSDx4OPoVh0dfPzAfP_fU2-5H4FdTbXNVSnmdK3HrUJBJMtuD_i_QH9SbSgDXx08_JL1pFsWka_Kc01RlN6UqERmOFemKwStRDtoYfP3gcKNTO_ixU8OzGxSeTtEJQQL8/s1600-h/IMG_4316.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2wDkj3m3eQdSDx4OPoVh0dfPzAfP_fU2-5H4FdTbXNVSnmdK3HrUJBJMtuD_i_QH9SbSgDXx08_JL1pFsWka_Kc01RlN6UqERmOFemKwStRDtoYfP3gcKNTO_ixU8OzGxSeTtEJQQL8/s320/IMG_4316.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397185941225663874" border="0" /></a><br />Just a few pictures of that are too great not to share.Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-28376294572598646872009-10-27T00:37:00.000-07:002009-10-27T00:49:28.214-07:00What are we teaching?Some of you might be wondering what are we teaching in this class that I am posting about,<br />so here is some clarification.<br /><br />Its a six day class that's structured as follows:<br /><br />Day 1:<br />Introductions of people, class structure, calendar and a very basic overview<br />of solar electricity.<br /><br />Day 2:<br />The Small Home Solar System: a small DC only solar electric system sized<br />for the average local home. Enough electricity for some lights and a tv or radio.<br />Basic Electrical including Watts, Volts, Amperes and Ohms.<br />What is a solar panel and how does it work?<br /><br />Day 3:<br />Batteries: the types, maintenance and how they are rated<br />Charge Controllers: What they are, what they do, and what makes for a good one.<br />Wiring: How to do it well and why doing it well is important.<br /><br />Day 4<br />System Sizing: getting the right amount of electricity for your devices<br />Maintaining the entire system and trouble shooting<br />Installation of a Small Home System<br /><br />Day 5<br />Business idea surrounding solar, how to run a micro solar business<br />Basic business skills and accounting<br /><br />Day 6<br />Wrap up and extended question time<br />Preparation for the hands on installation that will be happening the following week.<br /><br />That's the program. This is just the theory part of the class, it is followed by two<br />weeks of actually installing a system on a school which is the practical part. Then<br />we have a few more days of training afterward to establish maintenance routines<br />and to answer any questions raised during the training.Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-19597338971025542232009-10-25T21:32:00.000-07:002009-10-25T21:51:24.524-07:00Schedule for Solar Maasai Training and InstallTo keep you all abreast of developments, here is brief overview of the time line for the project.<br /><br />Original Training:<br /><br />October 22 & 23, 26 - 30<br /><br />Gathering Material in Nairobi and receiving the team from America:<br /><br />November 1-15<br /><br />Installation of Solar Power at Emprukel:<br /><br />November 16 - December 4<br /><br />Commissioning of System at Emprukel:<br /><br />December 5<br /><br />Follow up training and completion of training:<br /><br />December 6 - 12<br /><br />At the end of all training two of our local technicians will be hired to<br />maintain the system. The trainee that shows the most enthusiasm and<br />aptitude will return to California next spring to take a nine month internship<br />at the Solar Living Institute in Northern California.<br /><br />Currently it is Monday Morning in Kenya and we are preparing to start the<br />second week of training with our 20 trainees.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQP5eupQHPE3Jzl-aVRnQmsVy6BVp9hznojXL3Pe4AzxyKpMiai_iuDxQfWYnKN4NxgZuHIYJP4mdNOQMCV-XJ0J5czJawjrU4ihVihhyphenhyphen6w5jQQOywKmvx_D88ZzuP5Z24cQ1TYTvspjc/s1600-h/IMG_4686.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQP5eupQHPE3Jzl-aVRnQmsVy6BVp9hznojXL3Pe4AzxyKpMiai_iuDxQfWYnKN4NxgZuHIYJP4mdNOQMCV-XJ0J5czJawjrU4ihVihhyphenhyphen6w5jQQOywKmvx_D88ZzuP5Z24cQ1TYTvspjc/s320/IMG_4686.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396766396514781186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoZ1YyaNOLRRRbxPLMwb9DwuDNT88_0S-Ps3wOh4RwODu2dI7soYfmnbs_NSSjCD1UdfQX1j7nXDEElSkiEKkO8podNTN2fP6OkZ86vi_s6T8tQVGEalcdd496E7K6cdlJSZ_drHdURw/s1600-h/IMG_4707.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoZ1YyaNOLRRRbxPLMwb9DwuDNT88_0S-Ps3wOh4RwODu2dI7soYfmnbs_NSSjCD1UdfQX1j7nXDEElSkiEKkO8podNTN2fP6OkZ86vi_s6T8tQVGEalcdd496E7K6cdlJSZ_drHdURw/s320/IMG_4707.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396765261418174578" border="0" /></a>Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-75676141679290150632009-10-24T02:13:00.000-07:002009-10-24T02:24:08.283-07:00Arrival and Beginning of Training<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_TcIjrpzGughyphenhyphenzktIhJXfzCbiftQ8t6Ffo3nPRyVj4XnlvRO0S_MNBaR_Z1XLtQzwntYuN5t295ol9vUIzsfuKh6jsC_ZjyMXYdtYzLtRVv4nb7WgJdcSXHCIJLGeW7dsL3uWZWCDd0/s1600-h/IMG_4691.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_TcIjrpzGughyphenhyphenzktIhJXfzCbiftQ8t6Ffo3nPRyVj4XnlvRO0S_MNBaR_Z1XLtQzwntYuN5t295ol9vUIzsfuKh6jsC_ZjyMXYdtYzLtRVv4nb7WgJdcSXHCIJLGeW7dsL3uWZWCDd0/s320/IMG_4691.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396094687494628242" border="0" /></a><br />The team has arrived at Emprukel and training has begun. We have received a warm welcome and are currently educating 20 locals on the benefits of function. We had our first full day of class yesterday and the students was engaged and extremely respectful. We will continue throughout next week. Stay posted for more....Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-82821489309282055282009-10-13T11:33:00.001-07:002009-10-13T11:33:06.368-07:00Video from Kenyan News about Wilson's most recent trip<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/cKeB_LnKb0U' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/cKeB_LnKb0U'/></object></p><p>Check out this video about Wilson's most recent trip to Kenya and the release of his book.</p></div>Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-90026991084965319252009-09-22T19:45:00.000-07:002009-09-22T19:55:03.082-07:00Safely home and back on the road soon.Wilson is safely home from Kenya, he reports everything went well.<br /><br />He will be leaving for Washington DC this week to go to brunch at the white house. We wish him the best for his meeting with the president and his lecture at the National Press Club, which will also occur next week.<br /><br />The solar panels and other equipment are shipped out and on thier way to Kenya. They will be arriving on Nov, 11th, 2009 and the install will commence promptly after that.<br /><br />Special thanks to Debra Garrison and Navis Pack and Ship. They did a great job handling our shipping needs and working with us.<br /><br />Less than a month until Wilson and Barrett go to Kenya to get the install started. The pretraining in the village in Kenya will be starting around October 21st.<br /><br />There will be signifigantly more action for the next few months, check back for updates!Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-35920768646226416512009-09-12T10:22:00.000-07:002009-09-12T10:29:05.331-07:00Wilson in Kenya<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1r4_5jQQ4k7LrJGpIr-dFSBwK98CPui9Bhef85-FgiaSbBPu-TmPP262wRM3w5gvtpt0A92eoknemr_CGHM1xgQzspRjPnBkWlJWUd7o6KyJxHB7uBK8LojZretHVqPN8k9w7587iyY/s1600-h/CIMG0550.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1r4_5jQQ4k7LrJGpIr-dFSBwK98CPui9Bhef85-FgiaSbBPu-TmPP262wRM3w5gvtpt0A92eoknemr_CGHM1xgQzspRjPnBkWlJWUd7o6KyJxHB7uBK8LojZretHVqPN8k9w7587iyY/s320/CIMG0550.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380634062149333634" /></a><br />Our leader, Wilson, is in Kenya this week spreading the news of Solar Maasai and speaking to various rotary clubs and media representatives. We wish him well on his travels and planting the seeds for a successful initial training next month. He will be returning briefly on the 20th before heading to Washington D.C. for his brunch with the Obama family to celebrate the release of his book, <a href="http://14cowsforamerica.com/">14 Cows for America</a>.<br /><br />All of us on the AANF/Solar Maasai team wish him good luck and safe travels!Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-57447467216430746022009-08-28T00:37:00.000-07:002009-08-28T00:41:47.921-07:00Solar Lanterns!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJpnnKuWnMFLl-eBW-Mh4MTQsu0rWdXRPnoI8VXraIcV0z0ymCZOdOZTIqePe34J-69ZoQJB9vToDQPxxeuMUL-lLKdA-BR8VAst8AD3gHbNE5iYMJ1ICL33UZCbi9qTKKu1ISAhVTss/s1600-h/OML+logo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 106px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJpnnKuWnMFLl-eBW-Mh4MTQsu0rWdXRPnoI8VXraIcV0z0ymCZOdOZTIqePe34J-69ZoQJB9vToDQPxxeuMUL-lLKdA-BR8VAst8AD3gHbNE5iYMJ1ICL33UZCbi9qTKKu1ISAhVTss/s320/OML+logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374916333279068658" border="0" /></a><br />We have secured solar lanterns for the outlying homes surrounding the school. This great success come thanks to One Million Lights. <a href="http://onemillionlights.org/">Check out thier good work</a> and see how much difference light can make.Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817719465856916162.post-22548104277331986382009-08-24T16:22:00.000-07:002009-08-24T16:27:28.452-07:00Our New PartnerI would like to announce and thank Exide technologies for joining our team. They are coming to our aide supplying high quality batteries to store the electricity generated by the solar(PV) panels. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaO896VdoMeo45iG0YqRd5djm0bQILbePNVu92QGI_aB0O3L67mtNwHiP5jWefsbcsC4bQ1vL1TzWtJdYkp84GSDa2I0GZ6q4MDF1KZ8gQOWGZ-XlJjH_hHraBrhKe1T5fo2rYOQKwFXA/s1600-h/Exide+Technologies+Industrial+Energy+100+ppi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaO896VdoMeo45iG0YqRd5djm0bQILbePNVu92QGI_aB0O3L67mtNwHiP5jWefsbcsC4bQ1vL1TzWtJdYkp84GSDa2I0GZ6q4MDF1KZ8gQOWGZ-XlJjH_hHraBrhKe1T5fo2rYOQKwFXA/s320/Exide+Technologies+Industrial+Energy+100+ppi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373675339644136786" /></a><br /><br />Welcome to the team, we appreciate your support!Solar Maasaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591575615926193687noreply@blogger.com0