Renewable Energy
for the
Developing World
Site Wiring Diagram
Installation at Juan Luis and Ana's
Juan Luis and Ana said that they learned about solar energy from the radio, but we were unable to determine whether this was in the form of a radio program or advertising. 
They also mentioned that Tim of Rancho Mastatal had suggested a solar system for them. Prior to the solar installation, they had been using kerosene lanterns and candles for their lighting. These things are dirty and costly. Their children need to study at night and their four light fixtures will make this and other things possible.
Juan Luis will maintain their new solar electric system. He is aware that this will mean climbing onto the roof to keep the module clean, keeping the battery topped off and keeping an eye on the charge controller to see that everything is working as expected. 
Should a light bulb go out (hopefully this won’t occur for some time), he will probably need to track down Tim at Rancho Mastatal who would be able to communicate with someone in the US about getting a replacement. Unfortunately, in order to keep the electricity demand low, we installed two compact fluorescent fixtures and two light emitting diode fixtures. Juan Luis won’t be finding those bulbs at the local hardware store, even if they had a local hardware store.