We traveled back to Chalokwa with the entire team today. Keiko worked with Suntech to complete the installation of the solar system, which is fully integrated with our data acquisition system (DAS). The power system was tested and verified at the end of the day, and although some minor troubleshooting is required for the DAS we should have it working bytomorrow morning. Marko, the head of the Suntech installation team, went out of his way to talk with different team members to explain the concepts of the solar system and to help us set up the DAS. An electrician from GE also joined us in the morning to help determine the hardware required to wire the kiosk, and then traveled to Lusaka with Matthieu and AK to pick up components, a freezer, and a laptop for the community school. This required a three hour drive each way, in addition to a shopping spree at ten different locations; fortunately, they were taken around by a driver from GE.
Yin and Alex brought several battery kits to the village to charge, which attracted significant interest from the community;
appropriately, our new kiosk manager, Beauty, was nearby to help AJ and Adnane explain the services provided. Everyone is very interested in getting a TV! Unfortunately, we understand that the battery kits that support TVs are too expensive for most community members and we only have a limited number of rentals; however, Reynard is interested in setting up a TV at the kiosk which can screen daily news reports and the occasional Chuck Norris movie as a benefit to the community. Tomorrow will be primarily focused on completing the wiring of the kiosk and training Lucy and Beauty on day-to-day kiosk operations.
