SG meeting Aug. 18, 2022
Pete spoke about Eric’s (LEF) success in building a MMPT charger from a buck convertor. This will facilitate maximum draw of power from solar panels. They are very inexpensive (~ $2.00 for 100 W, $5.00 for 300 W, and likely $200.00 for a 5 kW). The next step is to begin using these power convertors.
Fatou reported on her inspiring experience at Alexis’s DC microgrid workshop at LEF.
We met Lovans from Ghana’s Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Solutions (https://isees.edu.gh/). Lovans is also working with clean cookstoves. Their center is in Ghana’s Eastern Region. Lovans will likely communicate with Bismark and Martin.
Katarina has been working with Aid Africa and is having a wonderful experience.
Emmanuel checked in from Scotland, where he is getting an MBA.
Andrew (ASEI) has signed a contract with RVB to ship 20 ISECs. When he receives payment, he will start building them.
In the third round of MECS funding, I would like to continue the “decentralization” of our project, moving as much activity away from Cal Poly into local communities. The motivation for this is the same that we’ve been following:
- It costs less money to hire people in low-income communities than in industrialized countries.
- The money earned benefits the local community
- The activity brings the local community closer to global efforts and the support that comes with this connection
Andrew thinks that ASEI can take over much of the grant management:
- Help run the weekly meetings of the Global Learning Community, “SuperGroup”.
- Take notes on the meeting, write them up, and post them on https://www.isecforum.com/
- Assist me in distributing, receiving, and evaluating collaborator applications for funding
- Whatever else comes along: maintaining correspondence, website maintenance, conference attendance.
The Global Learning Community has developed impressive competence/expertise in ISEC and DC electricity. Thus, we might use some grant money to help teach others. For example:
- Holding workshops or classes at a university or community center.
- Funding a trip from one collaborator to another. For instance, Rismah (AEC, https://afrikenergy.org/) is dedicated to developing ISEC manufacturing capacity in Liberia. Could MECS fund a trip for Rismah (and maybe Bismark) to visit Salma in Togo or visit Andrew and Moses at ASEI in Uganda (https://aseiug.org/)
- Alexis is designing DC microgrids… presently for two communities. The solar DC microgrid would be for ISECooking and other DC electricity services. We can propose that MECS could fund the portion that is required for ISECs. The rest of the system would not cost much.
If I’ve left anything important out, please respond to this message with this additional information.
Thanks
Pete