On May 19, Bertrand L., on his 1st mission with E.A., flew to Chile with Patrick D. for a long journey: more than 17 hours in three planes and just over 100 km by car were needed to reach Caleta la Barra. On the spot, they were warmly welcomed by the applicants, the managers of Ingenieria Sin Fronteras (ISF) Chili, and the local population.
The aim of the project is to install a solar production system that will power a pump to supply a 30 m3 water reservoir, available to the whole village : 16 panels, an inverter (10 kVA 48 V) connected to the grid and a 10 kWh battery.
In addition to studying the feasibility of the project, sharing information with E.A. and purchasing the electrical equipment, I.S.F. Chili was responsible for clearing the area planned for the placement of the 16 panels by cutting down trees, burying concrete supports and digging trenches.
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After some hesitations at the start, due to a lack of materials and tools, the mission took place in the cold and under a light rain.
And 3 days later, Agustin D., a colleague from Laborelec Chile, joined them to help set up the structure supporting the solar panels, and later to coordinate between EA and the ISF teams. He tells us about his experience:
“I only found out about the mission in Chile a week before the scheduled date, but the team welcomed me in with open arms. It was very interesting to take part with the Belgian volunteers, and I was able to contribute some experience of solar installations and help with coordination between the two teams.
I learned a lot and it was really rewarding to be able to contribute to a fishing community that welcomed us warmly. Since this mission, I’ve signed up for training in residential electrical installations, so that I can contribute more to future work.”
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Spartan accommodation conditions and night-time temperatures ranging from 1 to 4 degrees, in a dormitory with no heating, didn’t demotivate our volunteers, who completed this mission in 6 days!
A huge bravo and thank you to Patrick, Bertrand, Agustin and the ISF Chili teams, who made this mission such a success!
70 people in social housing,
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