Turbine Triumph

I got home this weekend and have been busy with laundry and sleep, but at last... the turbine!

Our first day in Canlle, we assembled the tower and got all our cable rigging cut and set up.

We has some adjusting to do on the base angle, and tried to file the steel brackets ourselves for a few hours, until we let one of the Peruvian guys file - it was done in almost no time.  They worked out a relay syatem and sailed through it.  Not only were they stronger, but they worked together much more efficiently than we were able to.  The next morning, we were able to mount and raise the generator, which was a true, and nail-biting test for our winch frame.

At this point we had to split into a couple of teams, because there was more to do on the turbine, but we were also going to power a community with no electronics - some of us had to get to wiring.

While we were busy setting up the main buildings to recieve power, some of the team mounted and re-balanced the blades. 

Finally, it was time for the tail.

It took three days to get the turbine up and working - but it was worth it to see lights on in the school on our last night.

The next day, the community threw us a celebration.  Before we left to head back down the mountain, we met at the turbine, for words of thanks from community leaders.

Overall, it was a life-changing experience.  I hope to find ways to keep involved, as the impact is incredible.  seeing amazement like this....

Makes all the hard work more than worth it.

Thanks for following along on this journey.  As I continue to sift through photos, I'll post some here as a way to continue to share the experience.  Email me if you have any questions about the trip, or the organization.

The Community of Canlle

I know I said I'd explain the turbine next, but it occurred to me that it might be nice to get a sense of the community first. Canlle encompasses a large area in the Andean mountains. They don't have a solid population count, as they keep track of families, not people. Community members told me anywhere from 200 to 300 people.

Our specific goal with the wind turbine was to provide electricity for the school. There are roughly 40 students who attend the school, ages 5-13. The attendance is iffy, because of other family & work obligations, as well as the great distances many families live from the school (for some, it is an hour walk each way). Here are the kids at the end of the school day getting ready to head home.

The school house has 2 classrooms and 2 teachers. You've seen our camp set up in one classroom - here's the other that was still in use during our visit.

As you can imagine, we all loved hanging out and playing with the kids.

The community held a party for us on the last day to thank us.

The women chopped wood to prepare as everything is cooked on an open flame.

We ate and drank in a circle as is custom. Ask me later about the specifics of drinking circle etiquette.

They are an amazing group of people, and deserving of a helping hand. I'm on a plane back t the states in the morning and I'll miss Peru terrible- the people truly did make the experience. I'll post turbine pictures and info in the next day or so. For now, I've gotta try and snag a few hours of sleep for the journey

The essentials

So we had made it to Canlle, but it was dark which meant that it was time for bed.  Since there weren´t lights, no one stayed up after dark.  So after we had our soup we went over to the school to set up camp.  The community had gathered a few hay mattresses for us and more than a few blankets.

Because there was no heating and holes in the windows, we we´re in for some cold nights.  So, we made one giant bed to make our best use of body heat.

Each morning we had potato soup and tea.  It was a bit redundant, but a great way to warm up after a cold night.  We were treated to our largest meal at lunch which was generally more soup, rice, a variety of different potatoes, and ocassionaly some meat.  We were treated to both chicken and cuy (guinea pig), both of which were in bags - alive and kicking - during breakfast, and then on our plates by lunch. 

At dinner there was generally rice, cancha (partially popped corn) and sometime changa (a fried bread).  All in all, we were well sustained.  For those of you curious about the facilities, I´ve elected not to post pictures here, but can tell you that they had a sort of outhouse with a hole in the floor.  They weren't luxurious, but the view from where they sat was amazing.  More on the process of electrifying Canlle next time.

Success

I'm back from our installation in the mountains. So sorry for the delay, but the first couple of days I slept and yesterday got busy with a new group of volunteers coming in.

It was a huge success. Canlle has power, the turbine works well, and I got to spend a week in a wonderful community. There's a lot to tell, so I'll probably post in installments over the next few days.

First, I'll tell you about getting there. We packed up the turbine pieces and shipped them to Cajamarca, where we would meet them and take them along for the remainder of our journey.

We took a night bus to Cajamarca and arrived early the next morning. We slept at pur hostal for a few hours and then went off to explore (and acclimatize - at 3200 meters). The next morning we packed up, and met our driver who brought a combi (similar to a medium-sized van). We strapped turbine parts and as many bags as possible to the roof, but still wedged in like sardines with the remaining equipment and luggage.

We drove 2 hours to San Marcos for a quick lunch and then continued up the mountain on questionable roads for another hour or so.

 When we arrived at the tienda there were a few dozen men from the community waiting for us and ready to help.  We started our 2 hour walk wonderfully. The men were amazingly strong and carried parts of the turbine with no problems.

Some of us took horses- others walked. I walked until the rain became heavy and the walk became incredibly steep, then happily accepted the offer of a horse.

It rained most of the way there, and for most of the next 2 days and nights- no dry clothes to be found in our bags that were first strapped to the roof of the combi, and the. To the backs of donkeys & mules.
But we made it, and when we got there it was picth black, which made our mission crystal clear. They had dinner for us in the cook house. Which we ate by head lamp, and then it was off to make a place to sleep in the school, which I will tell you about next time...

Up we go...

We catch our night bus this evening and head to Cajamarca to acclimatize for a day and then journey to the Andean community of Canlle. I'm excited to see the fruits of our labor and to meet the people we've been working so hard for. Yes, this means no blog posts for the next week - but lots to blog about when I return. If you want to send good vibes, we'll take smooth travels, good health, and stamina in the high altitudes. Until then...

Otuzco

Wednesday we took a day trip to the mountain town of Otuzco to begin to acclimatize and to take a quick break from the hard work we've been doing to finish this turbine.

We took a short tour, wandered the town, and met some llamas.

Wrapping Up & Heading Out

This week we tried to wrap up the turbine and get ready to head up to the village for the install.  We got everything painted with both a zinc protective and the white paint coat.

Then we assembled the remaining pieces of Henry the H.

I was injured, but retained the use of all of my fingers.

Then we constructed the generator, which consisted of the rotors...

...and the stator.

We secured the tail panel

And now all we have to do is pack it up today and ship it off.

More soon on our journey to come.