Solar PV Workshop

I partook in a Solar PV workshop my first weekend at Falls Brook. It was led by the very inspiring Richard Komp, whose ability to tell amusing stories all day without taking a breath, may possibly be more impressive than his 70 years of phenomenal achievements. The workshop involved a cheap and easy way to make your very own solar panel! You can buy used PV cells on e-bay and the rest involved a whole lot of house hold treasures: a protective layer (aka: newspaper), a garbage bag, vinal (aka: plastic batman print table cloth), and a fibre backing (more paper). If you’re interested you can learn more from his book Practical Photovoltaics, or you can just wing it. We also spent part of a day putting together a solar dehydrator used for drying fruits and veggies. However, for me the best part was seeing the work Richard Komp has done in Nicaragua. There he works with the non-profit Grupo Fenix, which manufactures photovoltaic systems and installs them in remote Nicaraguan villages. Many of the employees have lived through old landmine accidents, which have now hindered their ability to work. The organization is now flourishing incredibly well. http://www.grupofenix.org/

*The top picture is of our completed solar panel and bottom picture is of 2 existing solar dehydrators

Sorry, I had to:

What did the California wind farm say when it met Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger?
- We’re big fans of yours!

What do you call a silly old man?
- A fossil fool.

What should they do to gas guzzlers?
- Lock them up in a fuel cell.