Newsletter 1

Dear Sponsors,

I would like to update you on the current status of my project.

We have made a lot of progress in the last month communicating with the Medical Clinic in India and designing a solar power system for their needs. Aside from my own funds and your generous donations which are allowing me to buy two Solar Panels, I have received an amazingly generous donation of 3 panels from dear family friends which I will be carrying with me to India. This has transformed the project but also produced an interesting challenge - excess baggage. We contacted Qantas but unfortunately they declined to donate an allowance for this so in order to minimise weight we will be carrying the bare minimum of personal items. It looks like will have to shop for clothes over there!

Although we can always use more funds (as the needs in India are endless) and I continue to fundraise in these final weeks, we now have sufficient money and equipment to ensure that we can provide the clinic with most of its essential electricity requirements.

I have ordered two panels from the Indian branch of BP Solar and they are due to arrive at the clinic shortly. I will buy all other necessary materials such as deep cycle batteries and cabling once I am on site. Because we will have 5 panels it now looks like we can provide more than just lighting. We will be installing a solar powered pump to supply water to the clinic and nearby villagers and we should also be able to power a refrigerator. This has been impossible for them up till now as their mains power is very intermittent - typically only two hours a day. If the information I have received from the clinic is accurate, I calculate that we will have enough power left over to drive their ceiling fans - a great boon in a climate where temperatures reach into the forties in summer.

Aside from solar electricity, I hope to show the villagers how they can purify their drinking water using solar heating. Water borne diseases such as cholera take their toll of lives each year. There are simple, cheap, low tech ways of killing disease organisms with sunlight. Hopefully the doctors at the clinic will help me educate the villagers in these techniques. I will also be showing them how to use the sun's energy to cook food. Again the techniques are cheap and low tech. If I can implement this then villagers will save time collecting fuel and at the same time saving the surrounding forest from further degradation. I've been practicing by cooking pizza in my driveway - delicious!

I am due to fly out to India on the 22nd of November so I wish you all a happy Christmas and I look forward to informing you about the successes of the project in early January when I return to Australia. We land in Mumbai and then have to carry our panels cross country for 3 days by train. We've booked a few nights at amazingly cheap hotels (I hope not too cheap!). $10-15 dollars a night! Adventure is guaranteed!

Again thank you for your support. I couldn't have done it without you!

Cheers,


Anton