Mike liked our boat, the whole concept of how we use the energy. So, we got talking and he told us about his work for his neighbours at Nancy Cay, Solarte Island. There is no electricity on the island, no roads, no piped water. It is totally off the grid, with only walking and boats for transportation. Imagine: when it’s dark, it’s dark.
Mike’s goal is to get light to the houses of the indigenous people. Just two or three lights per house is enough. When they have that, they can read, sew, anything.
Mike started with the scraps he got from friends and fellow sailors. An old solar panel, an old battery from a sailboat. They had lost most of their capacity, but no worries, you only need a tiny bit of it for two or three lights.
Mike recycles used batteries by equalization and testing; he changes ordinary converters to solar controllers. And, he tests them at home first.
The installation
Until now, Mike has done the major part of the installations himself. However, he is now training one of the men on the island to be able to do this himself. This way, the community has the knowledge on solar systems in their own hands.
How does Mike pay for this?
Mike counts his hours with the labour of love. He started with old panels and with scrap batteries from sailors. So it is only a converter (the box between the solar panel and the battery), the light and switch, and some wiring.
People who have work and can pay him back, do so, often in small deposits. But from young women already mother of one or more children, he does not want money.
A crowdfunding action among his old friends in California enabled him to establish a small fund, so it helps him not to skip poor families. And, this way he can buy the necessary equipment in larger quantities, so cheaper. And, his newest addition, he could get a batch of cheap tablets, which will definitely find their way to the younger indigenous people.
‘Do not curse the darkness, light a candle’. Mike does just that. We think Mike is a bright example of how you can respectfully make a difference for those around you.