Umeme time
Yes it is time to discuss electricity (Umeme) again. Why? I don't know because I have not done so in a while. Because I had to fix several electrical items on site this week. Because I never discussed putting the solar system on the headmaster's house. Because I can't think of anything else specific to talk about. Who knows.
As part of the discussion we will also talk about the water pump system at the school site. Today when I went to site, I was told it quit working. After about an hour long discussion they had a problem with the generator and took it to a local repair shop to get it fixed but they have not gotten any electricity from the generator to the well pump since getting it back. Typically that would indicate the repair person fixed the gasoline engine disconnected a part of the system that generates electricity or allows it to flow from the electric motor. So after looking it over twice I could not find anything disconnected or out of place in that part of the system. I did not want to take it apart in the field (actually I did not want to take it apart at all-they can be a mess to put back together). So I went looking for other potential problems. I knew the problem was somewhere between the gas engine now working and the panel box for the water pump since the panel box has a power gauge on it that was showing no voltage. Fortunately for me the problem was actually simple. The plug for the system into the generator is a special plug that is put on in the field. So I noticed the posts were loose and took the plug apart. Both wires, positive and neutral were disconnected from the posts.
That was an easy fix. As was the headmaster's house that was not showing any voltage from the solar system. That turned out to be a wire pulled out from the charge controller which allowed the battery to go dead. Reconnected and a day to charge and now they have electricity in the house again.
Two good stories from installing the solar panel system on the headmaster's house.
1. The hour long discussion with math at the shop where we purchased the solar system components and lights to explain why the system will actually work with a battery larger than the solar panel especially since they work differently. The store owner was convinced you could not use a 100 ampHour battery with an 80 watt panel because the battery was too large for the panel to provide any charge to (they would not work together at all). I am pretty certain he did not believe me and my math.
2. Watching all the workers at the school site gather around when I did the math to figure out how long the legs on the solar panel frame should be to get the panel at a 13 degree angle when our roof was more of a 45 degree angle. I tried explaining it to them (it was high school trigonometry basically) but they just enjoyed watching me draw the angles out and do the math on paper like I was reciting some magical incantation.
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| after electricity installed |
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| before electricity installed |
As part of the discussion we will also talk about the water pump system at the school site. Today when I went to site, I was told it quit working. After about an hour long discussion they had a problem with the generator and took it to a local repair shop to get it fixed but they have not gotten any electricity from the generator to the well pump since getting it back. Typically that would indicate the repair person fixed the gasoline engine disconnected a part of the system that generates electricity or allows it to flow from the electric motor. So after looking it over twice I could not find anything disconnected or out of place in that part of the system. I did not want to take it apart in the field (actually I did not want to take it apart at all-they can be a mess to put back together). So I went looking for other potential problems. I knew the problem was somewhere between the gas engine now working and the panel box for the water pump since the panel box has a power gauge on it that was showing no voltage. Fortunately for me the problem was actually simple. The plug for the system into the generator is a special plug that is put on in the field. So I noticed the posts were loose and took the plug apart. Both wires, positive and neutral were disconnected from the posts.
That was an easy fix. As was the headmaster's house that was not showing any voltage from the solar system. That turned out to be a wire pulled out from the charge controller which allowed the battery to go dead. Reconnected and a day to charge and now they have electricity in the house again.
Two good stories from installing the solar panel system on the headmaster's house.
1. The hour long discussion with math at the shop where we purchased the solar system components and lights to explain why the system will actually work with a battery larger than the solar panel especially since they work differently. The store owner was convinced you could not use a 100 ampHour battery with an 80 watt panel because the battery was too large for the panel to provide any charge to (they would not work together at all). I am pretty certain he did not believe me and my math.
2. Watching all the workers at the school site gather around when I did the math to figure out how long the legs on the solar panel frame should be to get the panel at a 13 degree angle when our roof was more of a 45 degree angle. I tried explaining it to them (it was high school trigonometry basically) but they just enjoyed watching me draw the angles out and do the math on paper like I was reciting some magical incantation.
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| the well pump |
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| the panel box after electricity restored |
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| the well generator |
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| wire connectors in Tanzania |
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