|
We
have installed yet another machine at the home of mr Mohamud in
Mandera. The wind at this site is naturally stormy and what is
considered as a breeze there is wind which can take off a "kikoi"
from ones body. The area can also deceive a visitor when they
arrive and it is all still; only to see lose thorn thickets rolling
in the horizon on the force of wind after a few hours. We had
this kind of reception the morning we arrived and started mounting
the WindCruiser CS18TDR 240VAC.
At the
CRAFTSKILLS Workshop we did the final touches on the machine and parked
ready for the journey.
The road
was long unbending, temperatures high. It took us a total of 23 hours
from Nairobi City to Kutulo-Mandera on a Toyota Land Cruiser 4WD truck.
The last time one sees electrical cables is after they leave Wajir town.
The 2 days journey of more than 1,000kms took a toll on each one of
us.
The
20 feet steel pole was adequate height for the area and we made
use of extra help to hoist the WindCruiser CS18TDR 240VAC.
After The
mast was upright we locked the tilt-tower and marveled at the
sight of yet again another WindCruiser flying this time in Mandera
where wind blows very powerfully. It was a great achievement for
us and our client to realize free electricity in an area neglected
by development planners. Since most shops, restaurants and hotels
use petrol generators as their source for power it was an eye
opener for them to see the other cheaper power option we had brought.
The wiring
from the tower to the power box we used a 6mm double core stiff
cable. This cable delivered 50-300 volts from the WindCruiser.
Monitoring the system in this area was most interesting. The two
120AH batteries on the bank were doing extremely well. Putting
on lights for the whole night we were only consuming half a volt
from them. With the machine running most of the time we could
see the Charge controller LED lights on battery full most of the
time while the AC supply from the machine a wonderful stability
on 220-240 volts.
We made
sure all was well in the Power Control Unit.
After the
machine went up we could afford some rest.
On
your way to Mandera, El Wak, or Rhamu you will see this WindCruiser
flying at Kutulo-Mandera.
This is
the crossroad which joins three countries on no-mans-land between
Kenya-Ethiopia-Somalia. We had a chance of monitoring the machine
for over a week while enjoying the hospitality of the people.
We visited Kutulo-Wajir, Rhamu, Elwak, Mandera town and other
nearby market places.
|
