USAID Solar Water Pump

This last week I got a chance to visit a site where USAID and various charities had put in a solar water pump system in a community.  The system was put in roughly two years ago and quit working several months ago.  I was going to see if I could find out what was wrong with the system.  My expectations on the system were that it would be a fairly simple system with a solar system set up to power a standard pump drawing water from one of the hand dug wells this community has an abundance of.  

What I found when I got there was anything but.  It was an expensive, very advanced system that used four solar panels generating over 100 watts each to an electrical box that was connected to a computer chip controlling a sleeve pump that was inside a bored well.  The well was bored to 65 meters.  Feeling inadequate to fix this was an understatement.

I did test the things I could and found it was in the control of the pump where the problem was.  All of the solar system worked fine and while talking with a technician for the manufacture of the equipment we had the correct voltages throughout the system.  

What we did have was an F4 error code which I was able to see meant contact loss.  Unfortunately nothing told me or the technician what lost contact with what.  

So the village now has to pay 100,000 shillings ($50) to get the technician to come out and test the circuit boards and computer chips to find out what is wrong.  

I mention this in my blog because I can't believe how much money was spent building something that honestly does not do the village that much good.  Cheaper systems of a bored well could have been installed.  I know a simple bore well to that depth with a hand pump costs about $20,000 so this system with the water tank, storage room for the electrical equipment and solar panels, pump etc. most likely cost between $50,000 and 60,000. 

And when something goes wrong they have to get someone from Arusha or Dar to come fix it for more money than the village has to pay for it.  That 100,000 shillings just gets the guy out there.  No estimate yet on cost to actually fix it.  

Let me be clear this is not a request for money to help.  This is a statement of when helping sometimes is more the problem.  All that money for something the local village cannot properly operate as no one has experience with any of the equipment they are using.

I felt bad, really bad that I could not do more but circuit board testing is outside my skill set.  

I did however get to spend a lovely afternoon with a Peace Corp volunteer, Tiffany,  who recently moved to our area as she was my contact on this adventure.  She is now a  proud owner of one of my bears which she has named Eliza.  More importantly she is going to help me with one of my projects I am keeping a secret from everyone back home right now.