tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52755796018289428142024-03-26T23:37:53.807-07:00Tuvalu Solar Project Team BlogHeather Logiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327314462365054070noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5275579601828942814.post-73351392408981587552015-10-14T19:09:00.000-07:002015-10-14T19:09:33.389-07:00Sniffles and festivities<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">I have a cold. It’s an “island flu”. I know
that if I go to the island nurse I will be handed a packet of amoxicillin (cure
all antibiotic and one of about 3 things they hold supplies of out here). I
soldier on the first two days on Panadol, strepsils and multivitamins. I sleep
sitting propped upright against the wall so I don’t cough all night. I am on
the hunt for limes which I’m told someone grows here. I become sleep deprived,
grumpy, and lethargic and by the third day I’ve lost my voice altogether and
now people have a legitimate excuse for ignoring me – they can’t actually hear
me. It’s time for a rest day. And as chance would have it, there isn’t much we
can do onsite anyway until our missing hardware arrives (story to follow). I
find limes, finally cave in and start taking antibiotics, get my first nights
sleep in 4 days and wake up able to speak again (even if I sound like a 13-year
old boy).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Health and wellbeing are pretty critical
topics out here. On our minds even if we don’t speak about it all the time.
More than we would ever be back home, we are watchful of each other’s health –
whether it’s a scratch that’s turning into a gangrenous flesh wound or a cough
which turns into a short fuse. Living in such close quarters and being so reliant
on each other to complete this project makes this unavoidable and
simultaneously difficult to accept. Everyone has their own theory on how wounds
need to be treated, when drugs should be considered, and lots of (barely
tolerated) advice. On top of stress about food supplies, drinking water,
community liaison, paying bills and forward schedules, I’m kind of proud that
we’re all still laughing together at the end of each day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">At three weeks into the Nanumea install,
we’ve achieved a lot but have had a few spanners thrown into the works along
the way. Back in March during the delivery of all our freight to Nanumea, a
hardware crate was mysteriously lost at sea (presumed dropped as it was being
lifted from ships crane to lighter). On our way through Funafuti 4 weeks ago we
located and “borrowed” the Niutao crate on basis that there would be time to
ship a replacement crate to Niutao before solar installation works start there
in November. But, sadly the Niutao crate didn’t have all the equivalent parts
needed and our threaded rod, which is essentially the foot for the array
framing, was not there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Alex was quickly dispatched from New
Zealand to Funafuti as our logistics support officer – tasked with breaking
into gear stored at Funafuti wharf to “borrow” threaded rod (and some washers
which were also missing) from Niutao or Nanumaga.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">In the meantime, the team has soldiered on
with emphasis on completing the battery and inverter rooms. Good news is that
both were completed last week, all inverters finally turned on, and the system
was turned on yesterday. Even better news is that the generator was used last
night to successfully charge the batteries from midnight to 6am. From today
onwards we will be trying to use the batteries to meet load throughout the night
so that the village has 24 hour power. The generator will still run throughout
the day to feed the village and top up the batteries. All signs look good. And
I’m doing a little dance because it means the fans will be on all night and I
might get some uninterrupted sleep!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">The somewhat interrupted installation
schedule has created other opportunities for the team to get a bit more
involved with the very active Nanumea community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">When we first arrived in Nanumea, it was
evident that the civil team who’d been here before us had not made great
efforts to build positive or respectful relationships with their local workers
or the local Kaupule. While disappointing for us, it also presented an
opportunity for us to change their minds about having us here, and about helping
us bring this project to completion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We arranged a pig and set a date for an
afternoon barbeque with the workers, our housekeeper/cook and her troop of
helpers. The workers set up a volleyball net between the makeshift hardware
shed and our little digger and Roger introduced them to slow racing (last to
cross the line wins). <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIlW6Ph_ACz-fY4s5sh9dNoLNP9RMiDZQrZTTydJf5x8sJrhV71ISfE5EsfLnbZbxCT2mIN-zZd8pADOQue-QdOBlrAPIRQXlAIss50KK905Ge-AjI9w8SraFCLjHacv7Yc4v_ZvotVjs/s1600/DSC_5505+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIlW6Ph_ACz-fY4s5sh9dNoLNP9RMiDZQrZTTydJf5x8sJrhV71ISfE5EsfLnbZbxCT2mIN-zZd8pADOQue-QdOBlrAPIRQXlAIss50KK905Ge-AjI9w8SraFCLjHacv7Yc4v_ZvotVjs/s400/DSC_5505+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volleyball fun</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCoPm-pgq9RLNga_nXJ3F6q5_FkdSLS7JNGAD4GRb303OZd962G9hYpxrhdzXmSNyEXI98CypzYDAV9iok9oI9K5mn5t-Su9D-TlKO2GRbaa3hUMfLilI2wytccLCG1W3N50KhyZqgZYk/s1600/DSC_5540+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCoPm-pgq9RLNga_nXJ3F6q5_FkdSLS7JNGAD4GRb303OZd962G9hYpxrhdzXmSNyEXI98CypzYDAV9iok9oI9K5mn5t-Su9D-TlKO2GRbaa3hUMfLilI2wytccLCG1W3N50KhyZqgZYk/s400/DSC_5540+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feasting on local foods</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXg-wA3bBzkEj8dZqNe5RWoe8oayfMBqhxODZ93H1PKI76kEdYFjXRsOk3e0wfjhGTdV61OOhCRFo8uC6DtW_KK1Zx0h2nQy8_-gVJBddbRhLHxyPfF_4bi-sHMtTxip58QBCVjUA8c_T/s1600/DSC_5620+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXg-wA3bBzkEj8dZqNe5RWoe8oayfMBqhxODZ93H1PKI76kEdYFjXRsOk3e0wfjhGTdV61OOhCRFo8uC6DtW_KK1Zx0h2nQy8_-gVJBddbRhLHxyPfF_4bi-sHMtTxip58QBCVjUA8c_T/s400/DSC_5620+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slow racing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And I think our efforts to engage have made
a difference…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Nanumea, like most of Tuvalu, has a
thriving community culture, centred largely around the Church. July 16<sup>th</sup>
was the 84<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the Church and the celebrations had
obviously been in preparation for months. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppmUrNAsciS4fby4qBDTIswzR-NX6aivdRrqC4QLXVLixGxmbBhXl2Ed_t0POltZGCWtkRhqcJresYBepD0tL4dmTvPUihkltuG0CS4gR7wCpDL2vWO4zpRuB2H9RLcOUyYQRk5SbLAy7/s1600/P1070036+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppmUrNAsciS4fby4qBDTIswzR-NX6aivdRrqC4QLXVLixGxmbBhXl2Ed_t0POltZGCWtkRhqcJresYBepD0tL4dmTvPUihkltuG0CS4gR7wCpDL2vWO4zpRuB2H9RLcOUyYQRk5SbLAy7/s400/P1070036+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nanumea Church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Festivities kicked off at 4:30am. We were
still in bed. But we did hear the 102 bell rings at 3:30am waking everyone up
for the first service.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Activities continued throughout the day and
we were impressed to find everyone still looking bright-eyed when we joined
them in the community hall at 6:50pm. We felt chuffed to be invited and
overwhelmed to be offered a seat in the inner circle at the left hand of the Pastor!
I have to assume that everyone had had an afternoon nap as we were informed
that the dancing and singing would continue until 4am (yes, it’s a 24hour
celebration!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">After prayers and a couple of speeches, we
were invited to eat first and led to the most enormous table of food stretching
from one end of the hall to the other. There were coconut shoots, grilled fish,
smoked fish, crabs, rice, pork, barbequed chicken, breadfruit, taro, pulaka,
paw paw, fern shoots, donuts, cakes and twisties. Even after the rest of the
village had mounded their plates and broken off into their little groups to eat
and talk the table looked almost untouched. It was a reminder that no-one is
hungry out here. While Tuvalu may be considered poor in technology and
employment prospects, no-one is hungry or malnourished or homeless. It is a
country rich in local resources and community.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDa0cNz_cEL6UKhM5T0SNPjSWjL4btRJIbtmwrafbDNhw1GKYEx40njTgCHjIudNxRlq2lawNbxf4iMy9YTTJbXAU5XEibAeVsty53Bo9URynEaJ1DfojlRISJk-qxnsFJwd6UMCt31dMh/s1600/DSC_5692+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDa0cNz_cEL6UKhM5T0SNPjSWjL4btRJIbtmwrafbDNhw1GKYEx40njTgCHjIudNxRlq2lawNbxf4iMy9YTTJbXAU5XEibAeVsty53Bo9URynEaJ1DfojlRISJk-qxnsFJwd6UMCt31dMh/s400/DSC_5692+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banquet table for an army</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once food plates had been set aside, north
(green) and south (red) Nanumea set themselves up at opposite ends of the hall
with a large wooden box positioned in their midst. The drumming (box beating)
started. And then the singing. And then the dancers jumped up. Each team would
try their best to out-drum, out-sing, and out-dance the other. The rounds just
kept going, the drummers and singers getting louder, the dancers getting wilder
and sweatier. By 10pm when they finally called it a tie, we were exhausted just
watching.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJDFhhQI3fIT-RSqxLWeT7CBKeqkTJmfWgPa7h-HzqAA_OLuc_j3n5obPBFb5dD8uybthKC7J3dqyh3730oCj6i-oBGD6LNNtw1TEcYlb9eCWt3uh76GLV8U2By4Yf8L-zrnUr9zkzqfE/s1600/DSC_5702+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJDFhhQI3fIT-RSqxLWeT7CBKeqkTJmfWgPa7h-HzqAA_OLuc_j3n5obPBFb5dD8uybthKC7J3dqyh3730oCj6i-oBGD6LNNtw1TEcYlb9eCWt3uh76GLV8U2By4Yf8L-zrnUr9zkzqfE/s400/DSC_5702+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our workers Andrew, trying to encourage Marty to join the green team</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLR32OhkNJxn4oEfY2H78qOk5B-6GRhlX0LWLZDrEQhjDbQRWl4uk9FJaCxDhQpfBpPDCa11eIlxecoX3pp7xqteanJIX08TIdvXGJjG7RtcH6yNv69i48PijnRxskiSW6Yf_PhASDCId/s1600/P1070157+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLR32OhkNJxn4oEfY2H78qOk5B-6GRhlX0LWLZDrEQhjDbQRWl4uk9FJaCxDhQpfBpPDCa11eIlxecoX3pp7xqteanJIX08TIdvXGJjG7RtcH6yNv69i48PijnRxskiSW6Yf_PhASDCId/s400/P1070157+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All dressed up for the Anniversary celebrations</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
But now our short reprieve has come to an end
with the arrival Friday of the Nivaga II and our missing threaded rod and
washers. We spent Saturday drilling and setting rods and will be back on site
Monday with our local workers to complete the array. By Friday, Nanumea will be
the first Tuvalu system to go fully operational – only about 5 months behind
schedule.Heather Logiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327314462365054070noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5275579601828942814.post-67074708170084326722015-09-03T20:08:00.001-07:002015-09-03T20:08:39.050-07:00Does your rash itch sometimes?<div class="MsoNormal">
Today is the first day since our arrival on
Nanumaga when I have felt words running into my head and had the energy at the
end of the day to sit at the computer and get them out. We have been working so
hard for the past two weeks that, at the end of each day, it’s all I can do to
crawl into the cold shower, dunk my concrete dust and sweat saturated clothes
in a bucket and stare blankly at our assortment of tinned and dried food for
dinner inspiration. I’ve barely been keeping up with e-mails - the outside
world is not missing me very much.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Getting off Nanumea and moving us and our
gear to Nanumaga proved as adventurous as anything to date. The Baldur arrived
to collect us and part way through loading our tools it became clear that the
process was taking longer than the ship’s crew were obviously hoping. Anxiety
started showing on their faces by about midday when the swell hitting the
opening of the reef passage made it too dangerous for the small whale boats to
navigate safely, loading was stalled and the ship drifted away. When she
returned at 4pm we were being pushed to board but refused without our cargo –
afraid that once aboard they’d tell us we had to sail for Nanumaga and leave
our remaining gear behind. We finally managed to get from the panicked Captain
the reason for the pressure to sail – the ship had left Funafuti amid a strong
wind warning with barely enough fuel to make the round trip and no contingency
for delays loading or unloading cargo (despite a contract with us covering
daily rates for just this). How could this happen? How could a ship risk
stranding like this? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Luckily we were able to negotiate purchase
of some spare diesel from the Nanumea Kaupule and TEC – 25 barrels which had to
be moved to the wharf at 10pm that night and then carefully transferred to the
ship the next morning in addition to all our own cargo. The end result was an
unplanned 24hr delay in the charter but some assurance that we’d have enough
fuel to unload on Nanumaga and for the Baldur to safely return to Funafuti.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaA0H3jbkbYe3X45P-bNcB1htH7-wpN_9-V_nc1b6uxgvigdeT7VjeUmXE6G9U33hRklFXB4b2qps7y72RBhiOTwDZs1nNI2sda79JZ9ck0wwISoqZpqO-eKViK7sWzT5O6qaURrB6XgrJ/s1600/DSC_6033+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaA0H3jbkbYe3X45P-bNcB1htH7-wpN_9-V_nc1b6uxgvigdeT7VjeUmXE6G9U33hRklFXB4b2qps7y72RBhiOTwDZs1nNI2sda79JZ9ck0wwISoqZpqO-eKViK7sWzT5O6qaURrB6XgrJ/s400/DSC_6033+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loading diesel in Nanumea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the time we arrived at Nanumaga (about
4pm Tuesday afternoon), we were strung out and anxious that the unloading be
completed by mid-afternoon Wednesday when the boat would have to set sail for
Funafuti regardless of whether we were done or not. To their credit the crew
and local labour we arranged on the shore worked through until it was too dark
to be safe and were at it again by 7am the next morning. We were fully
discharged by 2pm and watched the Baldur disappear into the distance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back to work!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hadley started the conversation… “Does your
rash itch sometimes?” I can’t quite remember where it went from there but it
wasn’t dinner conversation. My rash doesn’t itch so much as prickle. My skin is
covered in small red spots – a heat rash? And I hate wearing clothes: they
scratch and rub and need constant adjustment. Marty deals with his rash by
going shirtless. Hadley wears indecently short shorts. I have been dreaming up the perfect island
work wear – a pair of seamless, Kevlar embedded, lightweight overalls that
somehow don’t actually touch my skin anywhere and steel-capped jandals(?).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkJa4qb0nxsgk1XEzGqAzr0BuqZypf_XQ6_8En6LWBi3fkM8K0iLQUdLN8o3Zmf7qbOsgPycuyKU9zJ52gsoTzbvOtNVLBn0dv3Nyz5us1cH18LUQyAM9uHqIHxrufL2rYlsORxvShdRO/s1600/DSC_6060+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkJa4qb0nxsgk1XEzGqAzr0BuqZypf_XQ6_8En6LWBi3fkM8K0iLQUdLN8o3Zmf7qbOsgPycuyKU9zJ52gsoTzbvOtNVLBn0dv3Nyz5us1cH18LUQyAM9uHqIHxrufL2rYlsORxvShdRO/s400/DSC_6060+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Concrete dust angels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xjdYvWDebjtsOSElBQamRgIHqv5xFnhifu4tJaBUlMXoHGDILTwYVHPJBVENpD7t8hzG4fCsEEoRNdVqAKsIxHcMarI9mb0oVHfFP-pWrs5bhcNIEULsJvK85H46S2bBs4ebKxoo6As5/s1600/DSC_6143+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xjdYvWDebjtsOSElBQamRgIHqv5xFnhifu4tJaBUlMXoHGDILTwYVHPJBVENpD7t8hzG4fCsEEoRNdVqAKsIxHcMarI9mb0oVHfFP-pWrs5bhcNIEULsJvK85H46S2bBs4ebKxoo6As5/s400/DSC_6143+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My trusty work boots</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We all had expectations about what it would
be like working out here. They weren’t idealised but they were kind of “all the
best bits, none of the bad bits”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Nanumea was an island of flies. They were
everywhere. And in everything. Although the Aussie’s in our party seemed less
bothered by them than the Kiwi/Dutch contingent. The biggest challenge was
keeping them away from open healing wounds – they would zero in on any scratch
or sore and use their little suckers to probe for yummy morsels (I’m sorry but
this is the imagery that stuck with us each day as we fought to keep wounds
covered!). We discovered a new use for Chux-wipes and electrical tape –
fly-guards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Aw6vg9rqAGMTxB6JwD28G6xKRG9_nRpiAjJv86GAZhbRhusalv4Ky4rwWDDnFSfH3falz0geJwiug17P_WQFGsEBhQyp1OEgzrc1IwQLRmeAfX_hORCvue2RwLqphplnXJHhyIAqj6gb/s1600/DSC_5716+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Aw6vg9rqAGMTxB6JwD28G6xKRG9_nRpiAjJv86GAZhbRhusalv4Ky4rwWDDnFSfH3falz0geJwiug17P_WQFGsEBhQyp1OEgzrc1IwQLRmeAfX_hORCvue2RwLqphplnXJHhyIAqj6gb/s400/DSC_5716+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hadley's modelling island work wear: fly-guard, short shorts, neck snake, flappy hat and bushy beard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nanumaga will be remembered for the ants. I wish I had taken a photo of the Nanumaga Kaupule guesthouse when
we opened the door on that first afternoon. The floor was literally alive –
crawling with yellow crazy ants which have almost taken over the island. There
are nests under the front porch and they swarm over every surface including the
mats and mattresses laid out on the bedroom floors. They even make it up into
the camp beds with us at night – an unsettling feeling but one you get used to
eventually. And there are holes and “soft spots” in the floor where the
supporting timbers have become rotten and mice and rats freely rampage through
the house. They are as bold as brass – gallivanting up and down the corridor in
broad daylight.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SRABVeHJ3EDTdPAX74QYWhb7XjuhReylbFBFcQPeSzTHQdvc_xY9SJEXXuxRKayctMX9qjbcFZUKFxet8o99uBgvQvxpqqFEzgpQfqFd-wXm7fqGNBe5A9vD2pAEGHb3PqyGKnTnHhMY/s1600/DSC_6058+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SRABVeHJ3EDTdPAX74QYWhb7XjuhReylbFBFcQPeSzTHQdvc_xY9SJEXXuxRKayctMX9qjbcFZUKFxet8o99uBgvQvxpqqFEzgpQfqFd-wXm7fqGNBe5A9vD2pAEGHb3PqyGKnTnHhMY/s400/DSC_6058+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ants swarming on the array foundations provided motivation to keep moving and work fast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Our first full day on the island was spent
trying to carve out a space to live alongside the ants and rats for the next
month. And convert this semi-rotten shack into a haven from the daily toils of
working in the heat, dirt, sand, grime and salt. We started unpacking food and
setting up tables in all corners of the house with little bowls of water under
their feet. The ants kept coming. And as we unpacked food from crates outside,
the ants discovered this new source of wonders and seemed to come up through
the ground itself. If you stood still for more than a second, they would swarm
up your legs. I tried spraying my feet and sandals with surface (bug) spray,
then a piece of cardboard to stand on, then I stood in a bucket of water. They
were unstoppable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">As for the rats, we’ve started feeding
them. It seems easier to sacrifice some food than battle constantly with trying
to keep everything away from them. They are keen on noodles. The big fellow in
the front room is onto his third packet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrbw3ODcBK0Wy82mBZaOrzjorU1QDtH4n3xRrm-ydxDNQxxVArrPent8HtE7eA8Hc-JynWr5JP7dAtn8LOc3w3AihWQyAMSTmVCzuwhPu3MvvAvIGJYoXnH4CbWcEeUQ5xQciDEV5oD9H/s1600/DSC_6065+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrbw3ODcBK0Wy82mBZaOrzjorU1QDtH4n3xRrm-ydxDNQxxVArrPent8HtE7eA8Hc-JynWr5JP7dAtn8LOc3w3AihWQyAMSTmVCzuwhPu3MvvAvIGJYoXnH4CbWcEeUQ5xQciDEV5oD9H/s400/DSC_6065+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our remaining food being preciously hoarded from from scurrying housemates</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nanumaga has also been the first island
where falling coconuts have proven themselves a significant threat. The walk
from the guesthouse to the powerhouse is only about 100m. But on the corner is
a cantankerous old coconut tree with a mean sense of timing. After a
combined 5 months now in the outer islands of Tuvalu, Marty has had two
near-death experiences in under a week, and Shane one. The verge under this
tree is littered with coconuts which have only just missed their target. We are cutting a
wide path now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Amidst these challenges of daily life in
the islands we are working hard, but we are also working smarter and faster.
Two weeks after we started on site and we switched the system on this
afternoon. Kaupule Secretary Sefuteni Liki was there to flick the switch – even
if it was a bit of an anti-climax – solar doesn’t make much of a bang. Tonight
the sweet joy of having a fan on all night and (hopefully) sleeping my first
night through in weeks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">As individuals, we are all coming to grips
with our roles and getting our heads around how to manage our respective parts
of the installation efficiently. No more missing some little step and having to
retrofit something which would have been way easier to do 3 days ago. No more
double doing. We’ve also had a fantastic group of local workers here on Nanumaga
– a crew who’ve worked really well together and solidly from start to finish. It’s
a system that Powersmart, MFAT, TEC, and Nanumaga, can be proud of. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_TwdVSSkBrUdLNlt1hnsBq0fcv3nSUdgjMfNsWsogQ3pAjfmUUMrkavbHPIMU0fX_y8-YPrwk6-JG4-_qcIX-wmnIOBESJLcXsTw5YBP-63GvIXpxzt-76X7U2igGW0CGuJ7RYkt5JaT/s1600/DSC_6134+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_TwdVSSkBrUdLNlt1hnsBq0fcv3nSUdgjMfNsWsogQ3pAjfmUUMrkavbHPIMU0fX_y8-YPrwk6-JG4-_qcIX-wmnIOBESJLcXsTw5YBP-63GvIXpxzt-76X7U2igGW0CGuJ7RYkt5JaT/s400/DSC_6134+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nanumaga work crew</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We’ve also been lucky to have Falani from
TEC here with us throughout the install. Falani works for TEC in Funafuti and
has had an opportunity to see some of the other (non MFAT funded) systems going
in on the central islands. It’s been wonderful for us to get some feedback from him on the
quality of the work we’re doing and to hear through him how positively all the
northern islands are viewing our work in the context of the broader Tuvalu
Renewable Energy program. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Heather Logiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327314462365054070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5275579601828942814.post-62719372171459651122015-08-01T19:09:00.000-07:002015-08-01T19:09:52.289-07:00Completion of our first system in Tuvalu: Nanumea<div class="MsoNormal">
With the arrival of the Nivaga II and our
missing threaded rod and washers, a flurry of activity began again on site. The
array could now be erected, connected to the solar inverters which were already
mounted and waiting, and the system turned on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">It all began with a night time mission with
laser levels to position the footing bolt holes and then hex nuts so that our
arrays would be beautifully straight and level. The site was lit up like
Christmas with red and green lines criss-crossing the ground as we scurried
about with measuring tapes and spanners trying to avoid falling in cable
trenches or tripping on stray roots. By midnight, nothing looked any different.
But the proof would be in the final product… we’d have to wait and see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">The next day work began erecting the panel
framing on the concrete array foundations and from there it all moved
relatively quickly. Within 3 days the team had mounted 768 solar panels and we’d
begun connecting and testing strings. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgtDU2EwMTWDRYw-nVAxiRSNo4WLIhVrazW8vCRhRKv08uX7cOwET0nW64Z6MBd0XxF5Iq6zNaaedqJkGl_Wa35aj6Y0ZtxqDeu_N7m4pDrtFbBN25OH6V8BQugFEqqZ62bfkdXwTzU4y/s1600/DSC_5732+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgtDU2EwMTWDRYw-nVAxiRSNo4WLIhVrazW8vCRhRKv08uX7cOwET0nW64Z6MBd0XxF5Iq6zNaaedqJkGl_Wa35aj6Y0ZtxqDeu_N7m4pDrtFbBN25OH6V8BQugFEqqZ62bfkdXwTzU4y/s400/DSC_5732+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mounting panels in the rain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Within another 3 days, the array was
complete with all cabling tidied away in conduit and behind the aluminium
capping. Nanumea’s solar system was up and running – the village now enjoying
24 hours/day of silent, smokeless, diesel-less electricity. And those
meticulously measured straight lines? Totally worth it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfOtdXHSL1s40El6-mNFHBk41RX1IOZvwOkhDzlueIQRsFkZ3zuF32cnyH6F6pxEk9_JwvMNKm06gGhaSKU_DXXc8GSsLSwci9t_oK5l5nlAkUluvRcor2ogG2i8xMyfjNmhXGxgaAGsb/s1600/DJI00126+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfOtdXHSL1s40El6-mNFHBk41RX1IOZvwOkhDzlueIQRsFkZ3zuF32cnyH6F6pxEk9_JwvMNKm06gGhaSKU_DXXc8GSsLSwci9t_oK5l5nlAkUluvRcor2ogG2i8xMyfjNmhXGxgaAGsb/s400/DJI00126+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsg62nRRGYRkWnm2pNrBJLUMUftnBAjbGPngaSCKPf9M75FC4uxY1B-3Zmh7RmaI4OtCUIawleZ0j0g0v5zaGcHY5w2jImBXtMYmFyKdnMGUxUwLomLmbY9BjRkl7lGbQDwaX-FbrHgTt/s1600/DJI00133+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsg62nRRGYRkWnm2pNrBJLUMUftnBAjbGPngaSCKPf9M75FC4uxY1B-3Zmh7RmaI4OtCUIawleZ0j0g0v5zaGcHY5w2jImBXtMYmFyKdnMGUxUwLomLmbY9BjRkl7lGbQDwaX-FbrHgTt/s400/DJI00133+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nanumea solar array made up of 8 arrays, 32 strings and 768 panels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-NZ">Nanumea
Solar Powerhouse Open Day 29/07/2015<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We were on site early to make sure
everything looked perfect – the floors were swept and the sun was blazing down
on the panels as if we’d arranged it especially after two days of miserable
grey skies and rain. First to arrive were the Falekaupule members (the village
elders) and the local Pastor. Shane gathered them all at the door to the
inverter room and explained how their new solar power system will work. It was
fantastic to then be able to show them in real time how well the system is
performing. Already at 8:30am, the solar array was producing over 40kW and the
village was drawing less than 15kW. The remainder was feeding into the
batteries which had drained to about 83% overnight. By 11am, the batteries
would be fully charged and the solar inverters would throttle back to drawing
only what was needed to feed the village and keep the batteries topped up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN35FMvz7xYY5wUyP_XEjxrx8ZU0zZUwFZZJh_4ogcQKhw9mucj_4-7O5y_7UKu5WJlsM3_iJzeHt_EtAfCke3ksZXDlbo7ToQqTF4LNlvdbsJFs_-iljc1jO9vuqUAg3Oq6kMR6cRp5WB/s1600/DSC_5800+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN35FMvz7xYY5wUyP_XEjxrx8ZU0zZUwFZZJh_4ogcQKhw9mucj_4-7O5y_7UKu5WJlsM3_iJzeHt_EtAfCke3ksZXDlbo7ToQqTF4LNlvdbsJFs_-iljc1jO9vuqUAg3Oq6kMR6cRp5WB/s400/DSC_5800+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Live system monitoring shows how much energy is being produced and where it is going</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At 9:00am, the primary school children
announced their arrival in song – gathering on the entrance road and belting
out a number from their English repertoire – something about branches on trees,
nests on branches, eggs in nests, chicks in eggs, feathers on chicks, bugs on
feathers – and all with actions and wide smiling faces.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Shane delivered an abridged presentation
and the teachers served as translators. There would be a string of
unintelligible words and then you’d hear “solar”, “batteries”, “24 hour” or “no
pollution”. It was fantastic to see the kids’ faces light up in comprehension
although I think most were excited at the prospect that this all might mean
bigger TV’s and the chance to stay up later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJ9SEIEc6rX2N7m14AhwDEdBa81u2JiGGWDLM9AKcW5BVI8Gy8Vv6TsdFxY_iXF_9n4U3zlNtFkXHZLa0DMw4So2G0b2RcY_CkifkC4haW48c4jsso6_leCkpEUN-H-8bFD-UaEcCYBtS/s1600/DSC_5824+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJ9SEIEc6rX2N7m14AhwDEdBa81u2JiGGWDLM9AKcW5BVI8Gy8Vv6TsdFxY_iXF_9n4U3zlNtFkXHZLa0DMw4So2G0b2RcY_CkifkC4haW48c4jsso6_leCkpEUN-H-8bFD-UaEcCYBtS/s400/DSC_5824+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-CDe7Jdc3ZRy8kfLbkpPOrojD6tPO1JI7xGeO8h1rhyphenhyphenC10U9e44l_JesttEXgDbJdFToqOYpaZZMeo9Kxyn4QyBdjM4GQZfH27K9mBcCH1uYHCxts3jCDbhiE_blmfq3rV_DuwNU_jWO/s1600/DSC_5828+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-CDe7Jdc3ZRy8kfLbkpPOrojD6tPO1JI7xGeO8h1rhyphenhyphenC10U9e44l_JesttEXgDbJdFToqOYpaZZMeo9Kxyn4QyBdjM4GQZfH27K9mBcCH1uYHCxts3jCDbhiE_blmfq3rV_DuwNU_jWO/s400/DSC_5828+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preschool and Primary children visiting the new powerhouse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">That night we were invited to an official
community celebration of the new solar power station at the community hall. Our
housekeeper Seleima decked us all out in stunning Tuvaluan outfits ensuring
that Hadley and Marty had no excuse not to wear a skirt. We were promised a
fantastic feast and wanted to contribute something. The best we could come up
with was a loaf of our palagi (white people) bread, some berry and chocolate
pikelets and coconut squid (a favourite recipe of coconut flesh BBQ’d in sweet chilli,
soy and garlic). Next to the trays and trays of local delicacies, our offering
looked very dull – we hoped someone would be brave enough to give it a try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9pKP0ZoRU_VEy1r5gh60C1rwZ4kWBt9zmfUq5Ca4rLymToZYFyZweZ5gVrEX7N9JAB_CCIVbJluUyJXClMSs7rSvsVj-Ohr7bqxBVna7jQ6eoRbaSsJVHxnvZyP_LQgyqUa2bahrhTAT/s1600/DSC_5901+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9pKP0ZoRU_VEy1r5gh60C1rwZ4kWBt9zmfUq5Ca4rLymToZYFyZweZ5gVrEX7N9JAB_CCIVbJluUyJXClMSs7rSvsVj-Ohr7bqxBVna7jQ6eoRbaSsJVHxnvZyP_LQgyqUa2bahrhTAT/s400/DSC_5901+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decked out in our Tuvaluan finery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the most important aspects of any
formal gathering in Tuvalu are the speeches. These are delivered in a specific
order based on position and occasion and can go on for a long time as it is an
open floor and anyone can contribute as long as it is in the right sequence.
Shane prepared a speech of thanks to all the various people on the ground who have
made the project possible and our time on Nanumea much easier: the Kaupule and the village elders, our workers, the TEC supervisor and operators, our house-helper
and her extended family of tom-girls and the school children for learning our
names and greeting us with smiling faces and high-fives as we rode to work each
morning.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">The best surprise of the night was Marty’s
speech which followed – delivered entirely in Tuvaluan to resounding applause:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 2.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ">Talofa katoa koutou </span></i><span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 2.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ">Toku igoa ko Martin</span></i><span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 2.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ">Fafetai lahi mote fakatokaga koulua, kiluga ia matou.
Tali tonu te loto me koi a ne fakatoka neia. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 2.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ">Mai konei, kati ten ate fakatokaga a matou mo koulua
Nanumea kiluga ite solar. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 2.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ">Mai konei malie te loto mote lua fakatokaga.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ">Fafetai
lahi</span></i><span lang="EN-NZ"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Which we hope roughly translates to:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 2.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 2.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ">Greetings to you all </span></i><span lang="EN-NZ"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 2.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ">My name is Martin <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 2.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ">Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us. I
believe that God has helped everything to go well.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 2.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ">We are pleased to be able to present this new solar
system to the island of Nanumea.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 2.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ">We are grateful for all the food you have prepared for
this celebration.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-NZ">Thank
you so much. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And
then the singing and dancing began. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmCDGQTc_sT6wL-MAvYZiAJDXdyQCdlGZroge7F9ItmQy7kOKA0SxIBEBhNfF4UC6E6GfZ7J72YJkLUPgMhuJTvgVVgkBwr16lJXisAK7QDwqglcqtkoUQHMx4I4k_q5r5jArUQby15zj/s1600/DSC_5925+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmCDGQTc_sT6wL-MAvYZiAJDXdyQCdlGZroge7F9ItmQy7kOKA0SxIBEBhNfF4UC6E6GfZ7J72YJkLUPgMhuJTvgVVgkBwr16lJXisAK7QDwqglcqtkoUQHMx4I4k_q5r5jArUQby15zj/s400/DSC_5925+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5oACXCG8JTXAl5-SRlMwZ9zOee3i7K6dUoA7kjo0jOoLUlk-xZQHWzudLgc2jvX5na6adnRSk4Mf_xZ1J304g_8APji_dg0OUhRl31cbrAf1vuf068_GpcHnCPLPXLthzohY3z4281HJV/s1600/DSC_5927+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5oACXCG8JTXAl5-SRlMwZ9zOee3i7K6dUoA7kjo0jOoLUlk-xZQHWzudLgc2jvX5na6adnRSk4Mf_xZ1J304g_8APji_dg0OUhRl31cbrAf1vuf068_GpcHnCPLPXLthzohY3z4281HJV/s400/DSC_5927+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same movements are delivered side-by-side in very different styles by the men and women</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the formal dancing ended, the free dancing
began and we were gently encouraged to invite the community to join us on the
dance floor. The chance to dance with a palagi was one of the big draw cards for
the night and even the boys could not escape. To the booming beats of Tuvaluan
(and a few English 80’s hits), we bobbed about awkwardly for as long as we
could sustain before collapsing in sweaty heaps and retreating home to cold
showers and bed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">“Fafetai lahi Nanumea”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkYbxfcvremNW8PAsDWqRJOxacBiOZkxuMDtmqnKuPdGJ7ap4fgBqMLioNjrznXubttWdrW7QH2odmmoBCf9HkT4ZZAC8xtot0ubYdjRU-YFQ7GKp-Eci5mI7Vv4vV-pO21uKYXP2zZbf/s1600/DSC_5962+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkYbxfcvremNW8PAsDWqRJOxacBiOZkxuMDtmqnKuPdGJ7ap4fgBqMLioNjrznXubttWdrW7QH2odmmoBCf9HkT4ZZAC8xtot0ubYdjRU-YFQ7GKp-Eci5mI7Vv4vV-pO21uKYXP2zZbf/s400/DSC_5962+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hadley and Sipele (Kaupule Secretary) after their spin on the dance floor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
Heather Logiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327314462365054070noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5275579601828942814.post-81932338068116751402015-07-04T19:27:00.000-07:002015-07-05T22:52:30.963-07:00Project start Nanumea<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Our return to the Tuvalu outer islands this
time is aboard the MV Baldur, an ex-livestock carrier which was in use for a
number of years ferrying cattle and sheep to and from the Chatham Islands off
New Zealand. She is one of the few locally owned and operated vessels available
to charter and, while smaller than the Komaiwai, has enough freight carrying
capacity to be useful moving teams, tools and equipment going forward. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnfyn4jkdnLIRM27pWgiVv2NI0iNe0WHiPN88l-61jESi3IllnFQevIGGHaWMe3s1PApvIRMD1u4aJa4aNO-pCcyEhqBeGVDT0ZX620If42nYzdt_rfzfPkHdOlT2Fh36sMWVwfi3ebQj/s1600/IMG_0113+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnfyn4jkdnLIRM27pWgiVv2NI0iNe0WHiPN88l-61jESi3IllnFQevIGGHaWMe3s1PApvIRMD1u4aJa4aNO-pCcyEhqBeGVDT0ZX620If42nYzdt_rfzfPkHdOlT2Fh36sMWVwfi3ebQj/s320/IMG_0113+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MV Baldur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We are still lowest on the priority list
for access to the wharf. Finally on Thursday afternoon we are able to bring her
up alongside and begin loading replacement cement for Vaitupu, our tools and
spare equipment for Nanumea. It is a struggle to get access to the port
forklifts and our cargo is strewn all over the port. The forklift driver asks
Shane which flat rack we need loaded and he points to the one buried seven
deep. Suddenly the forklift is out of fuel and its smoko time. He disappears
and we hope he is coming back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">He does. And by 3am Friday morning, we have
loaded as much gear as we can, having to leave behind 3 flat racks of cement
for the ship to collect on return through Funafuti for Vaitupu. We rush back to
our accommodation, shower, decamp and our generous landlord Pita delivers us
and our trailer load of gear to the port. By 4am the hammocks are up and we’re
all fast asleep while stevedores keep loading food supplies which we’ve offered
to transport for local stores on Nanumea. We are hoping this earns us a few
credits and some leverage when we ask to keep unloading on Sunday (Church day).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWm1SLMACNU8pHBMZVzaGfgpLz7r5y66emlTfasRwkMyVbNn-mdD002AK7xcZ58-vaSol36oR26AYv9ZQzQOZatxOL7z6MWwtkydTheYS5M9T8SwcBYV_ofiV3A-2DbMNhwlrkproSfkPs/s1600/P1060537+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWm1SLMACNU8pHBMZVzaGfgpLz7r5y66emlTfasRwkMyVbNn-mdD002AK7xcZ58-vaSol36oR26AYv9ZQzQOZatxOL7z6MWwtkydTheYS5M9T8SwcBYV_ofiV3A-2DbMNhwlrkproSfkPs/s320/P1060537+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping quarters on the Baldur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEs0TUo5_C8uNUS6ug5v261y7kQyYB3kWmfw3TAI9taM3iFT5o82V1H5Rc_aVW3FlqFPFlrdekR-GOjsHPS_djhjY0vxcoug7x8a7-AeEp-IAe6N20dIPkriQ6uF5w_AcIKsycGy_JOa6a/s1600/P1060561+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEs0TUo5_C8uNUS6ug5v261y7kQyYB3kWmfw3TAI9taM3iFT5o82V1H5Rc_aVW3FlqFPFlrdekR-GOjsHPS_djhjY0vxcoug7x8a7-AeEp-IAe6N20dIPkriQ6uF5w_AcIKsycGy_JOa6a/s320/P1060561+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrival Nanumea and loading the whale boats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">We arrive Nanumea about 9:30am Saturday
morning and the first task is to unload the whale boats which will be used to
transport cargo through the narrow channel into the lagoon. With a 1-2m swell
rolling the ship, even this is a wild affair and we’re all apprehensive about
whether we’ll be able to unload gear at all. The crew are optimistic and
familiar with local conditions. The smaller whale boats are more manoeuvrable
in the channel entrance than the larger lighters which were being used by the
Komaiwai. Even then, waves are breaking in the channel entrance and the pilots
have to time their move. I decide to wear my lifejacket… just in case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Saturday and Sunday are spent unloading our
tools and spares and then loading the McConnell Dowell tools which need to be
returned to Vaitupu for completion of the array foundations there. We spend
another half day sorting through damaged food crates and salvaging what we can.
We’ve now consolidated the food crates from 3 islands (Vaitupu leftovers,
Nanumea and Nanumaga). There were some very happy and well-fed rats living in
the Nanumea food crate. And now some very happy and well-fed pigs gorging
themselves on creamed rice, tinned peaches and muesli bars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJbtpB0LeHikqih3d_if4pNpLDGQY-VigRz5ZKQoXszeZG0yqe3oGoBPbtsPItYCQsYaK4IceIxAvFw8pgTyVgRBmxU5bQSbrA9hzStbDZINTv-doWOxbGuSxT-FwGnPviHownTa0_23L/s1600/P1060628+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJbtpB0LeHikqih3d_if4pNpLDGQY-VigRz5ZKQoXszeZG0yqe3oGoBPbtsPItYCQsYaK4IceIxAvFw8pgTyVgRBmxU5bQSbrA9hzStbDZINTv-doWOxbGuSxT-FwGnPviHownTa0_23L/s320/P1060628+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salvaging what we can from the Nanumea food crate</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Supplemented with some fresh supplies from
Funafuti (eggs, onions, potatoes and cabbage) I am sure we will have enough to
keep us going here and to carry forward to Nanumaga. Especially if we can
source another 20kg tuna.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">And it’s not just our food which has been
affected by the project delays and harsh conditions. All of our equipment has
now been sitting on the wharf and out in the sun for up to 6 months and much of
the waterproofing has disintegrated. Cardboard is a perfect rat nesting
material and mould flourishes in moist, dark places. The gear shifting,
unpacking, cleaning and repairing process is now a significant part of our
work. We have brought some spares with us, borrowed from the Niutao equipment
which was still in Funafuti. As we begin to put everything together it will
become evident what damage is likely to affect completion of the system and we
will make plans for any additional equipment or works. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2pWMemB1pxPHS7yZfz6Jp0IidmthmKYp0vqMreLmbEh3x_9p-qcJzsTrPAIR_8rKqdHGEx1TC4FYk9gJEoLxodj5PN4R4HLWuWkVSGyZI_W82Ctc3Uig6J7fwiUPHFtx4sFlxyaLtcnu/s1600/IMG_0167+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2pWMemB1pxPHS7yZfz6Jp0IidmthmKYp0vqMreLmbEh3x_9p-qcJzsTrPAIR_8rKqdHGEx1TC4FYk9gJEoLxodj5PN4R4HLWuWkVSGyZI_W82Ctc3Uig6J7fwiUPHFtx4sFlxyaLtcnu/s320/IMG_0167+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rats nesting in the battery rack boxes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVU6XJ0w42b7KRU5Sa4El-ezzQW9cezuuGm61AwjDxcurRiI1b3zvnO5UddP5Onnt9W-DuUnXpVyWpT0WqQDfwANpZ0_LUQLdNMMHbDGmJJKbsF23YKwF3yq5mBYImJOgzhhZeAhYmz7j3/s1600/P1060658+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVU6XJ0w42b7KRU5Sa4El-ezzQW9cezuuGm61AwjDxcurRiI1b3zvnO5UddP5Onnt9W-DuUnXpVyWpT0WqQDfwANpZ0_LUQLdNMMHbDGmJJKbsF23YKwF3yq5mBYImJOgzhhZeAhYmz7j3/s320/P1060658+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washing all the workers t-shirts which smelled of mould after 6 months</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite these challenges, work started on
site Tuesday with our team of 10 local workers and progress has been fast.
Array cabling is almost complete, inverters are mounted, 6 out of 10 battery
racks are in place and loaded and work will begin on array framing construction
Monday. It’s going to be a busy few weeks but we’re all just pleased to be
working again and seeing some progress.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURRH6seDzuH6vLdG1p_XTknn3cIfb1jH5Kei3HdOewoDAcvJ0OsV7gPi_2-iMS6wygI8L1pPyrhzfNFS-3laV0Xz_mor5i8qRRLGdIqrG78KhMWyTaUhVLYri-_4as4XY5YkRLaZLqaVH/s1600/DJI00053+%2528Large%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURRH6seDzuH6vLdG1p_XTknn3cIfb1jH5Kei3HdOewoDAcvJ0OsV7gPi_2-iMS6wygI8L1pPyrhzfNFS-3laV0Xz_mor5i8qRRLGdIqrG78KhMWyTaUhVLYri-_4as4XY5YkRLaZLqaVH/s400/DJI00053+%2528Large%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eagle-eye view of the site, new powerhouse and generator building</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsY8YgyMaNrTuYC7-Xli6JmwGWcCO0-QBnzMPhNRUhgZQdC4a2jFosadoJ5LAVj-UgKmgKugOJxal9PpdEXMA3-Bti_j_ZnF1wh1WUb1IH4VjwxbwXl6UQApa7KFcSTzbvmXeEJkHnukn/s1600/P1060802+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsY8YgyMaNrTuYC7-Xli6JmwGWcCO0-QBnzMPhNRUhgZQdC4a2jFosadoJ5LAVj-UgKmgKugOJxal9PpdEXMA3-Bti_j_ZnF1wh1WUb1IH4VjwxbwXl6UQApa7KFcSTzbvmXeEJkHnukn/s320/P1060802+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inverter room well underway</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-NZ">Meanwhile, in our evenings we’ve been
bringing out the new toy which we brought with us this time – a quadcopter. The
kids have very quickly worked out what it is and what it does. Their smiling
faces remind us to forget about work for a few minutes and launch ourselves off
the wharf into the water. None of us are sure how long we’ll be out here this
time so these moments are very special. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwlN6dS7KESdwLdqcGxwxXK1ytR5IILp_0ebipnZM9Z0Depe1VpKXPsF9774q9eVFwfACP5-K7aduVO5Ki-nbS6iBtQ_QCNo1xrdVgUHAtFatQd5zldn_jZRAMTu6TEZRlvEtVlY0gZvt/s1600/P1060700+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwlN6dS7KESdwLdqcGxwxXK1ytR5IILp_0ebipnZM9Z0Depe1VpKXPsF9774q9eVFwfACP5-K7aduVO5Ki-nbS6iBtQ_QCNo1xrdVgUHAtFatQd5zldn_jZRAMTu6TEZRlvEtVlY0gZvt/s320/P1060700+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piloting the quadcopter with an audience</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOxsmH9AhMO-yf55NG78nyDWWTtsJE4TzUoY47mJvxRcoam24pQ_ryQVhco7w5i8v50grjGcv7UKN9EUQeiftI95DVBpxJplhdDfDGJbgZb780GTuQ5OCLSNy5EQjSbGbopU2GbNR-nw7/s1600/vlcsnap-2015-07-05-10h51m15s140+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOxsmH9AhMO-yf55NG78nyDWWTtsJE4TzUoY47mJvxRcoam24pQ_ryQVhco7w5i8v50grjGcv7UKN9EUQeiftI95DVBpxJplhdDfDGJbgZb780GTuQ5OCLSNy5EQjSbGbopU2GbNR-nw7/s400/vlcsnap-2015-07-05-10h51m15s140+%2528Medium%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon shenanigans at the wharf</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49Y1XTOh5o31YNtgGUtjNSpDrkfevWFOJhwj3up_wy9Rqov0Bk_Tj83jXKqKIKFBdvvd6Vk43qHRnh4yqgmKzOEm7k15B_LbBgM_1FWkpbmx3Qqd2tY8wR96owpVbiJXVB_PN_CpQ3SZA/s1600/P1060707+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49Y1XTOh5o31YNtgGUtjNSpDrkfevWFOJhwj3up_wy9Rqov0Bk_Tj83jXKqKIKFBdvvd6Vk43qHRnh4yqgmKzOEm7k15B_LbBgM_1FWkpbmx3Qqd2tY8wR96owpVbiJXVB_PN_CpQ3SZA/s320/P1060707+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Island sunset</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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Heather Logiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327314462365054070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5275579601828942814.post-48938577604719875362015-06-19T23:57:00.000-07:002015-06-19T23:57:06.207-07:00Return to TuvaluWe have been gone for almost three months and I’m surprised at how excited I am to be back in Tuvalu. It means that we are starting again, that Cyclone Pam hasn’t defeated us.<br />
<br />
In early March 2015 the largest tropical cyclone that this region has experienced in 30 years began building in the warm seas north of Vanuatu and north-west of Tuvalu. At the same time our small team camped on the outer Tuvaluan island of Vaitupu were testing the solar system we’d just finished installing, packing our tools and saying our farewells.<br />
<br />
Our passage forward to the island of Nanumaga aboard the shipping vessel Komaiwai II was scheduled for 10 March but she found herself wallowing in Funafuti lagoon, dragging anchor and trying to weather the storm. On Vaitupu, we hunkered down, helplessly watching the storm surge wash almost completely across the island and then spending the following days trying to help with clean-up efforts, waiting for news of how the other islands had fared and whether we would still be moving on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGOYk2HzgibnP_vV0LeQReltjMo_tM90fKYLL-PxiwOMTt2LDn_9H5EKLY_mh37epqFYAgwRAeX_tDMFclCQqojpyB3SnsKpYxMPLcxFrIWspr45IRlC5Ro9okOqprm7ebUpK6cyuW1JQ/s1600/IMG_2479+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGOYk2HzgibnP_vV0LeQReltjMo_tM90fKYLL-PxiwOMTt2LDn_9H5EKLY_mh37epqFYAgwRAeX_tDMFclCQqojpyB3SnsKpYxMPLcxFrIWspr45IRlC5Ro9okOqprm7ebUpK6cyuW1JQ/s400/IMG_2479+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debris washed up on the soccer pitch at Vaitupu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Almost two weeks later, the Komaiwai II was safely out of harbour on an aid mission loaded with medical and food supplies and what project cargo she had been able to load. No decision had yet been made to suspend works. There was reportedly some damage to the reef passage but we were pushing on to Nanumaga as civil works were complete and all that remained was delivery of the last 100T of solar equipment.<br />
<br />
Getting off Vaitupu wasn’t as easy as we’d hoped. After an aborted attempt to load on the lee side of the island we managed to load the lighter direct from the reef with the excavator and then have the lighter towed to the lee side for loading to the ship. The team, our tools, hammocks and spare food were on the move again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZE6AxCiWuRqNk_JbYMVzNmBcL81fuITH39e8Pz9VzWf-m2-gPZnmrHDUqyNGR5lAQaOVZdN_V-UdQrFPUtVW7JZe550opW10SKin6PpmOIIcAJlYOC7AnsVBUJ3QGF-PzeH9kxOiMveJ/s1600/IMG_3983+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZE6AxCiWuRqNk_JbYMVzNmBcL81fuITH39e8Pz9VzWf-m2-gPZnmrHDUqyNGR5lAQaOVZdN_V-UdQrFPUtVW7JZe550opW10SKin6PpmOIIcAJlYOC7AnsVBUJ3QGF-PzeH9kxOiMveJ/s400/IMG_3983+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our course plotted from Vaitupu to Nanumaga</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WjFgqsSyH4S57JO6OC4fKVfsJjy0zcNQ3CbContuZAwD8jccpHnToN4NvzfIqbMi6ex7EbUtwYo0c9JK2bGg0OXGzPJvDmO2yV5I3ELi-itCJgC3EaB8RijW83-GmmSHJ_cJPWazksDK/s1600/IMG_3988+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WjFgqsSyH4S57JO6OC4fKVfsJjy0zcNQ3CbContuZAwD8jccpHnToN4NvzfIqbMi6ex7EbUtwYo0c9JK2bGg0OXGzPJvDmO2yV5I3ELi-itCJgC3EaB8RijW83-GmmSHJ_cJPWazksDK/s400/IMG_3988+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAiWIVKL-_jE8Yvu3Fg7JjD2zRT0zrgAWhZ8ZWVEEgEAnGEQDjMXckLAuf6IRO_z274XamOOecRnr-w1cl8geKtCRPa57yChMg1VBXoC8h2upN8zyenmMcsp6TxdpzV8zRtpwpno2YcHT/s1600/IMG_3991+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAiWIVKL-_jE8Yvu3Fg7JjD2zRT0zrgAWhZ8ZWVEEgEAnGEQDjMXckLAuf6IRO_z274XamOOecRnr-w1cl8geKtCRPa57yChMg1VBXoC8h2upN8zyenmMcsp6TxdpzV8zRtpwpno2YcHT/s400/IMG_3991+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How to survive the Komaiwai: dose on sealegs and sleep for 30 hours</td></tr>
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Unfortunately when we arrived in Nanumaga, it was quickly apparent that the damage to the reef passage was extensive and would halt all unloading operations. The concrete ramp used to transport cargo onto the island had been completely broken up and large chunks were now blocking the reef channel. Without being able to unload the remainder of the solar gear on Nanumaga, we would not be able to go ahead with the install. There was nothing we could do.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwcY5uf3ka3ejSIK2ctOazNchyphenhyphengFTBsPRQjbJzTVFnzX2nO70ySQT6KewEUqLxSwO65WU2vuVMhygsUY3Pxy225xdSlbvgwn9fuhD9uxDaqlWX3WOntUvOZRANLXXE7Pwfa7wVLl5tLEQ/s1600/DSCN1645+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwcY5uf3ka3ejSIK2ctOazNchyphenhyphengFTBsPRQjbJzTVFnzX2nO70ySQT6KewEUqLxSwO65WU2vuVMhygsUY3Pxy225xdSlbvgwn9fuhD9uxDaqlWX3WOntUvOZRANLXXE7Pwfa7wVLl5tLEQ/s400/DSCN1645+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A section of the ramp in Nanumaga passage</td></tr>
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The Komaiwai II continued on her mission to deliver aid supplies to Niutao and Nanumea, confirming similar levels of damage to the reef passage and ramp on Niutao. With two islands now suspended and no certainty around timing of cargo re-delivery, the hard decision was made for us to return to New Zealand.<br />
<br />
And so for the past 3 months, we have been working toward program restart, and making the most of the chance to eat avocadoes and blue cheese and drink as much barista coffee as our nervous systems can handle.<br />
<br />
But Nanumea is now ready for solar installation and there is an agreed solution for the array location at Vaitupu. We are also working with NZ MFAT on solutions to deliver solar cargo to Nanumaga and civil and solar cargo to Niutao. Our plan is to install the system at Nanumea and Nanumaga while a civil team works on Vaitupu and another prepares to head in to Niutao. It’s like lining up dominoes and holding your breath.<br />
<br />
And so we flew in to Funafuti Tuesday morning and it feels different being back – even just arriving at the airport and seeing familiar faces, having people to say hi to, to catch up with – coming back is very different to just coming. And it feels busier than it did in January – with the slightly cooler and calmer weather, the harbour is filled with fishing boats and the hotel with Taiwanese, Korean and New Zealand workers. We are staying this time at a guesthouse halfway to the port. It’s nice to have our own space.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMrR1u3O6zXiKIMyIvzglxCZZZCJHeDucnKbJIDOBmbjQ8xuCweRm_j-2hilhyphenhyphen9kGojdNpSwhe1Tfwgd6TlgQJ0RSYzNQH1s5sK9COs6EbbFML7YSnR6gK42fbjbf27F9-fD2ev3WhWYK/s1600/DJI00029+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMrR1u3O6zXiKIMyIvzglxCZZZCJHeDucnKbJIDOBmbjQ8xuCweRm_j-2hilhyphenhyphen9kGojdNpSwhe1Tfwgd6TlgQJ0RSYzNQH1s5sK9COs6EbbFML7YSnR6gK42fbjbf27F9-fD2ev3WhWYK/s400/DJI00029+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Congestion in Funafuti harbour</td></tr>
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<br />
We spent the first day breaking into our container stored at Funafuti wharf, rebuilding bikes and cleaning mould and rust from all our work clothes, tools and equipment. Ours are the first fat-bikes in Tuvalu and we’ve already had 4 offers to buy them when we leave. There is a business opportunity here.<br />
<br />
Our next job was to survey the condition of all our gear stored at the port. A further 3 months sitting exposed to the elements has not been kind. Weatherproof coverings on cargo stored on upper level flat racks in particular has almost completely disintegrated. The gear itself is OK but structural cardboard is now soggy mush and we are trying to think through the practicalities of handling these pallets up to 7 times going forward – onto a vessel, on and off forklifts in the hold of a ship, out of the hold, onto a lighter, off the lighter suspended from an excavator, onto tractor forks and finally to site. We are just going to have to take extra care at every step and work closely with those handling it so they understand how fragile it is. Lots of ratchet straps and ply?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdd4wUa7q13Zhk8dsTY__ojmUfnQ_ibUyGL0UNkKaBBWYm28oq2VQJ_iGMHnxjUx1sliZ3OGqWKGNQ5Oi3-sA1c_72Zc8HjM79htZWvPnXIMExJeFLKGINNIyFvzkUFvT_3iNX6VOsfH_/s1600/DJI00028+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdd4wUa7q13Zhk8dsTY__ojmUfnQ_ibUyGL0UNkKaBBWYm28oq2VQJ_iGMHnxjUx1sliZ3OGqWKGNQ5Oi3-sA1c_72Zc8HjM79htZWvPnXIMExJeFLKGINNIyFvzkUFvT_3iNX6VOsfH_/s400/DJI00028+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Funafuti port - the uncovered racks are ours</td></tr>
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<br />
We spent the following day sourcing plastic covering materials, labelling cargo and trying to get assistance from the port authority to move gear into lots destined for loading to various islands in sequence. With the Komaiwai II still in Fiji, we are working with the only sizeable local charter which can move us and our gear – the Mackenzie. They will load us, our tools and some spares pilfered from the Niutao cargo for transport to Nanumea. There they will collect the McConnell Dowell tools destined to go to Vaitupu, return to Funafuti to collect a McConnell Dowell team and deliver all to Vaitupu. It’s still a work in progress from that point forward. Logistics remains our biggest challenge out here.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile back at the port, our next mission was to open our Nanumaga food crate which was discovered out in the open, uncovered and looking very soggy. No-one was keen to tackle this one and for good reason – the smell of rotting cardboard was horrendous.<br />
We cracked the lid and jumped in (literally). Wads of cardboard started flying over the edge of the box, then rusted tins and bulging bags which had proven inadequately sealed. Of course all the foods which you can readily buy out here – like rice and corned beef – were absolutely fine. And so is the Spam – thank goodness!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohWRZFWPScE0sB1HuA2IgYEbtJxXFDTXZgNbpVLAGzEFolCf2nTOwTxc1a59vdbGAix-bpHMrq4N9RPYlqkIvGWuOyT0RLTaSyoiKStizK5EesgeHgle5BcTJ2nlor-grdCy41t0AzoUl/s1600/IMG_0063+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohWRZFWPScE0sB1HuA2IgYEbtJxXFDTXZgNbpVLAGzEFolCf2nTOwTxc1a59vdbGAix-bpHMrq4N9RPYlqkIvGWuOyT0RLTaSyoiKStizK5EesgeHgle5BcTJ2nlor-grdCy41t0AzoUl/s400/IMG_0063+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salvaging the least suspicious of our food supplies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSDQzUdCBbR69Aj5-T1UoDCME4MCdF6VFi_wPFdcvfWOSpSeUgHpgCDOKdx2wMjPXhoMPnK_rUiqOzEVDiCNsZ01o1xDSZr9SH8w1WMEvffc9gqUxp1OkOItYRBtpuIQlkxECJ7J8h9wR/s1600/IMG_0056+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSDQzUdCBbR69Aj5-T1UoDCME4MCdF6VFi_wPFdcvfWOSpSeUgHpgCDOKdx2wMjPXhoMPnK_rUiqOzEVDiCNsZ01o1xDSZr9SH8w1WMEvffc9gqUxp1OkOItYRBtpuIQlkxECJ7J8h9wR/s400/IMG_0056+%2528Medium%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Nori sheets? Still good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Our plan is to take it all with us and start moving forward with the best of what we have. The food has now been out here for 6 months and some of it is starting to tick past its use by date. There is little point saving it for later. We need to start eating from the supplies we have and worry about resupply when we run out. Tomorrow is another day and we are on Tuvaluan time now. But it feels as though we are adapting better this time around. We are more familiar with how things get done and more determined than ever to see this project through.<br />
<div>
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Heather Logiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327314462365054070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5275579601828942814.post-12150691693274404602015-03-11T00:33:00.001-07:002015-03-11T00:33:45.698-07:00Wild weather in Tuvalu<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">At about 10:30pm Monday
night it hit. We’d been waiting for it since about 7; the promised high
wind/cyclone that has delayed our ship yet again and has left us all packed up
with nowhere to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">We’ve been working 6 ½
day weeks for the past 4 weeks with a goal in mind to be finished here and
ready to move on to Nanumaga in line with delivery of our equipment and ferry
schedules. After all the delays in getting our equipment unloaded here, and the
realisation that logistics will be one of our biggest challenges out here, it
seemed sensible to work harder and faster, giving ourselves the biggest
possible window filled with the most potential transport options to move on. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">On Thursday morning we
had news that the Komaiwai was unbelievably running ahead of schedule and might
be ready to sail past Vaitupu for a pick up as early as Saturday morning. All
our hard efforts seemed worth it. We could be finished. We could be ready and
packed in time. We worked until 11pm Thursday night and were back on site by
7am the next morning.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">And the site looks
incredible. The new Vaitupu powerhouse is an impressive piece of engineering;
the result of months of planning, agonisingly detailed calculations,
measurements and drawings and a shipload of the finest German technology that
money can buy.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPrA1ZTTseJeQRTdyurDcNFObVNiLBI8CGCPXhmiN8e6tgSS7o0_7nx_19lTSVj5LGPEqxKDVUj8esKmwU0eJ2d_YjMfA0QhaeOWp1Hd4HeuPiq-bT9ZvTyaVpcC3_ej8IufwCHRsENvU/s1600/IMG_3174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPrA1ZTTseJeQRTdyurDcNFObVNiLBI8CGCPXhmiN8e6tgSS7o0_7nx_19lTSVj5LGPEqxKDVUj8esKmwU0eJ2d_YjMfA0QhaeOWp1Hd4HeuPiq-bT9ZvTyaVpcC3_ej8IufwCHRsENvU/s1600/IMG_3174.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished inverter corridor in the powerhouse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Amidst the frenzy of
finishing last week, we opened its doors to the local community. On Thursday the
primary school students and their parents came to visit. Still dressed in our
sweaty, grubby work clothes, we were presented with beautifully made floral
wreaths and a woven basket of coconuts that we devoured within minutes of their
all heading home for lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">On Friday morning the
high school students arrived; ferried in by their Fijian teachers and primed
with good questions. Thankfully no-one asked if the generator amp setting on
the master Sunny Island was drawing the correct current from the generator… we
were still tinkering.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0gFHHYrU6cjnjDQBaBxuvT9P3-FBJ83alVl-upDYBBtumnKZiEdb3ZIxovefJznCkfJ6V5HcJVsiE_FNXuY4v6xlxpDz4aaEc5tfAkyu_hwi1CATg0428mcZoQiFA47PbQwL-7GXufOX/s1600/IMG_3145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0gFHHYrU6cjnjDQBaBxuvT9P3-FBJ83alVl-upDYBBtumnKZiEdb3ZIxovefJznCkfJ6V5HcJVsiE_FNXuY4v6xlxpDz4aaEc5tfAkyu_hwi1CATg0428mcZoQiFA47PbQwL-7GXufOX/s1600/IMG_3145.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fifty visiting 16 and 17-year olds crammed into the battery room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">That night we
celebrated everything we’ve achieved here so far with a spectacular feast.
Hosted by our wonderful Fijian housemates, we ate crab and reef fish and
breadfruit cooked in coconut milk and chilli and fresh made roti and a local
fern, which has become our primary source of greens. The boys were dressed in
brilliantly loud and colourful shirts and I finally had an excuse to bring out
the Tuvaluan outfit which I had had made in Funafuti. As the night warmed up
and our gin ration stretched, we sang songs of farewell and safe passage. We
have been promised that if PowerSmart comes to do a project in Fiji, we will be
feasting every night.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoedP7xIRX7m4XUkUfZM_kPOLMPp1TCbKpB8T17QId6ElUoaxkDwFfJWdIXUzPtzFnV31HNSbCphlNE330toRdMZWbuVSMupkSVFLfGZmPC9BG5HHa6o25xZQVsdV0N3yMH6I7B1qoe31/s1600/IMG_3160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoedP7xIRX7m4XUkUfZM_kPOLMPp1TCbKpB8T17QId6ElUoaxkDwFfJWdIXUzPtzFnV31HNSbCphlNE330toRdMZWbuVSMupkSVFLfGZmPC9BG5HHa6o25xZQVsdV0N3yMH6I7B1qoe31/s1600/IMG_3160.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating with our Fijian housemates</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">And so like sad prom
dates, we are waiting at the curb for the limo. And a cyclone is coming. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">It rained horizonally
for most of the day on Tuesday. The sparser of the coconut trees by the wharf,
trying to stand solo against the wind, look weary, and someone has started
moving boats off the harbour ramp. Apparently one was swept up on the water and
came crashing down again. It has holes. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIDqal1PdKmF7-meiQZUn7eSTg_O_w3hkPhRuRn9zfSkIktZUw1gt9jQAZvm86FdgbsvdgQ5yCXAdB4pNiST6_3daYF3i0wrwmtGlaZRI7XHMuNES2r_FHNxVC1Zi7k7sxU24nkw3DTy-/s1600/IMG_3360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIDqal1PdKmF7-meiQZUn7eSTg_O_w3hkPhRuRn9zfSkIktZUw1gt9jQAZvm86FdgbsvdgQ5yCXAdB4pNiST6_3daYF3i0wrwmtGlaZRI7XHMuNES2r_FHNxVC1Zi7k7sxU24nkw3DTy-/s1600/IMG_3360.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">By 8:30am Wednesday
morning, it’s high tide. There is a crowd gathering in front of the
meetinghouse above the wharf. Some of the locals report that they’ve not seen
weather like this since the storm of 1991. Waves have been pushing higher all
morning sweeping rubbish up onto the streets. Two coconut trees have given way
and come crashing down. With each set that comes in, the marker pole at the end
of the wharf disappears in a spray of white and another wall of blue appears
just behind it. There is no conceivable way that a little barge with a 40hp
engine would make it through that harbour entrance unscathed. On a day like
today, no ships will even be allowed to fix to Funafuti wharf; they are bobbing
like corks in the middle of the lagoon, waiting just like us. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RQPr-ZA2GTNsY45g0toRQ4eJtigfS90Jn_VGT3noO9AI3U6BA7rS9UuimTcXmzznptAa0FeUPIgL7ljjCBmTMVdaigarvYWYKsuvSzvtaX4xIxQLx2cAIcT0UPe1u3QO1DQMVbs-LCg4/s1600/IMG_3332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RQPr-ZA2GTNsY45g0toRQ4eJtigfS90Jn_VGT3noO9AI3U6BA7rS9UuimTcXmzznptAa0FeUPIgL7ljjCBmTMVdaigarvYWYKsuvSzvtaX4xIxQLx2cAIcT0UPe1u3QO1DQMVbs-LCg4/s1600/IMG_3332.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storm watchers<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0BIYWdIU7zP4um6HiT3AVlBhc73QRapVC_cR9BFWtVFkl-7NlUBnNCzHW_gmjVTExe7A_Y3L8qzJvFI_pD-iOpLFuzuScueeIfIc1u6qfDCgI4d9COQLUTPDpoF0IUyX-53yR7k9jMkR/s1600/IMG_3310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0BIYWdIU7zP4um6HiT3AVlBhc73QRapVC_cR9BFWtVFkl-7NlUBnNCzHW_gmjVTExe7A_Y3L8qzJvFI_pD-iOpLFuzuScueeIfIc1u6qfDCgI4d9COQLUTPDpoF0IUyX-53yR7k9jMkR/s1600/IMG_3310.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vaitupu harbour under siege</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthbLrRIdBbm-wJ8jKV16F3rBHv30-cuL0GHkICMV3HL0AxAi50vG4Mrm3GyxB4Oo-lWAUjonjg2A5Mvp1EstOm-gWQ0Mhkexsn8iTmr3yHe60BuCNu5MVVMLB23nNHFfD_ZEp2K63D89k/s1600/IMG_3351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthbLrRIdBbm-wJ8jKV16F3rBHv30-cuL0GHkICMV3HL0AxAi50vG4Mrm3GyxB4Oo-lWAUjonjg2A5Mvp1EstOm-gWQ0Mhkexsn8iTmr3yHe60BuCNu5MVVMLB23nNHFfD_ZEp2K63D89k/s1600/IMG_3351.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assessing the storm damage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc0BYQQtkj31p0gjyrvFdvC-GKv3wPK0yhvd0b6rJWHX7ghw4C-DUFcPdYXT07JZY9uXzkkfKVwFVwdcQhZCBE5Ycr7_AYKt68V9ef7OC3xWCUjf82IFnlx8JCecLTbNkRfuR_wXP22M6/s1600/IMG_3368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc0BYQQtkj31p0gjyrvFdvC-GKv3wPK0yhvd0b6rJWHX7ghw4C-DUFcPdYXT07JZY9uXzkkfKVwFVwdcQhZCBE5Ycr7_AYKt68V9ef7OC3xWCUjf82IFnlx8JCecLTbNkRfuR_wXP22M6/s1600/IMG_3368.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy to reach these coconuts!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Weather report released
Monday night… <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Tuesday and Wednesday:
North to north-easterly winds 15 to 25 knots gusting to 30 knots over open
waters. Seas rough with westerly swells 3 to 4 metres. Thursday? Westerly
swells 4 to 5 metres.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This afternoon we
wanted to see for ourselves what damage this weather is causing. As we head to
the western tip of the island we see pig pens washed away and outdoor kitchens
being reinforced in anticipation of high tide which is due tonight. At the tip
of the island, we traipse through the mud and peak out through the Pandanas
palms. Something doesn’t look right. I realise that the horizon isn’t flat. It
looks like a rolling mountain range; all dark green with snow-capped peaks.
There is a point on the horizon where the very western-most corner of the reef
is reaching out into the ocean and a great pyramid of water is pushed into the
air. The wave peaks and breaks from this point, rolling toward us. I’ve never
seen waves like this. My sandy, coconut tree covered, 2m high atoll, perched in
the middle of this enormous ocean, feels very precarious right now.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvQk4kcQJB2m8ah0FgPLZmV9BmgS9EKDC4GoqjL70qxU2W6TaYXqrXA7lFYLUWotVPZDEcmMgEAn_m12XzUZjvmKI0XdXyV-0yYuR5wrHuWDG_3m6I4457A29atFGlomOhSXsobtcbtil/s1600/IMG_3662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvQk4kcQJB2m8ah0FgPLZmV9BmgS9EKDC4GoqjL70qxU2W6TaYXqrXA7lFYLUWotVPZDEcmMgEAn_m12XzUZjvmKI0XdXyV-0yYuR5wrHuWDG_3m6I4457A29atFGlomOhSXsobtcbtil/s1600/IMG_3662.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team outing to check out the waves on the western tip of the island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And to top it all off, we
are on diesel rations again. We are down to our last 235L of fuel and the
generator will only come on for 3 hours tonight and then another 3 hours
tomorrow morning. With it our communications with the rest of the world as the
satellite uplink relies on the generator and reasonably clear skies. I will try
to get this post out tonight but it may be a few days before you hear from us
again. It’s time to hunker down. To drink too many cups of tea and spend half
the day scurrying to the bathroom. Or perhaps to bring out the scotch whiskey
and work on our fantastical stories of the Tuvalu storm of 2015. </span><!--EndFragment--><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJJkLDRoRBtuWVND-3H-3f7NMf_u7AFBT99cJfV1kw8sAVzXBBqrbSegBNodiQKBAo717QXknoi6y89hnac7hTw7lIys5Q4ZJqbe_qneAGibRd9JcKhwaKoExY2dzbN3HvQrjfPfehxRn/s1600/IMG_2874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJJkLDRoRBtuWVND-3H-3f7NMf_u7AFBT99cJfV1kw8sAVzXBBqrbSegBNodiQKBAo717QXknoi6y89hnac7hTw7lIys5Q4ZJqbe_qneAGibRd9JcKhwaKoExY2dzbN3HvQrjfPfehxRn/s1600/IMG_2874.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Building a mountain of empty diesel drums</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>Heather Logiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327314462365054070noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5275579601828942814.post-76986223888074085532015-03-06T19:40:00.001-08:002015-03-06T19:40:34.010-08:00Solar 101<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Shane has been running
night classes for local workers and the technicians who will be responsible for
managing the system when we leave. It’s been a chance for even his team to
further grow their understanding of what we are building here; how the
component elements fit together like building blocks to efficiently deliver the
energy capacity that is needed here. We’ve been asked by a few people to put it
in writing so this knowledge can be shared. So here goes the not-too-technical
guide to off-grid solar. Or the long answer to the question “so what exactly
are you doing out there?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Electricity flows like
water through a system that allows you to store reserves and pump it in
different directions to manage availability and meet demand. This is the
starting concept for class #1. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjac4RWfvNEH335MWYdybRYuX0iLmJfplI0RtJq-f4xN9ivGUFvnVwB8CFHL10ejDDqYn81MRYyC65srr9jYA045TMQ34_1e0sbuwTC_eCg0ntcWdDbpGDJlR3rzS2wgoYMiszbW1_Dcqvn/s1600/IMG_2658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjac4RWfvNEH335MWYdybRYuX0iLmJfplI0RtJq-f4xN9ivGUFvnVwB8CFHL10ejDDqYn81MRYyC65srr9jYA045TMQ34_1e0sbuwTC_eCg0ntcWdDbpGDJlR3rzS2wgoYMiszbW1_Dcqvn/s1600/IMG_2658.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reusing panel boxes as educational supplies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Just as rainwater is
captured, pumped into tanks when it’s raining and then pumped in the other
direction when it is dry, so energy can be transformed and moved to where it is
needed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In our system, solar panels
“catch” the sun’s energy like buckets in the rain. This energy travels along
underground cables to the solar inverters that convert the energy from direct
current (DC) to alternating current (AC) that we use in our homes. All this
energy then goes to the multi-cluster box (MC Box) which acts like a big
controlling valve at the heart of the system. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the MC box is the heart the system the battery inverters
are the brain. And one battery inverter rules them all. The master battery
inverter decides where this energy goes. Direct to the village? Or if the sun
is blaring and more is being produced than used, excess energy can be sent to
the battery inverters that transform it back into DC, charging the batteries,
which act as tanks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">At night when the sun
goes down and everyone turns on their lights and start watching Masterchef
Tuvalu, the master battery inverter changes the direction of flow and starts
drawing that excess stored energy from the batteries and using it to power the
village. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">And if the Tuvaluans
are unlucky enough to have a few days of torrential rain with no sunlight, the
master battery inverter is clever enough to send a message to start the
generator, which acts like a pump drawing another source of energy into the
system. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3H__zrIhvCKy_JhTgiFfTGZaa4TCxKuffjBaoIXjZ9wBUNWOP7NGgdNYue5j9tcM_04WwKtT-s-YX3NKA_1l-0MqmkjDfofGqFVbJpM2FbvNeYyHJgN_-zYs461zhl37xUE7yfMWdRPo/s1600/IMG_3032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3H__zrIhvCKy_JhTgiFfTGZaa4TCxKuffjBaoIXjZ9wBUNWOP7NGgdNYue5j9tcM_04WwKtT-s-YX3NKA_1l-0MqmkjDfofGqFVbJpM2FbvNeYyHJgN_-zYs461zhl37xUE7yfMWdRPo/s1600/IMG_3032.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How your Solar electricity plant works</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">So how will having
this system change energy use on Vaitupu?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Vaitupu is currently
powered by a 110kW generator, which operates 18 hours a day (from 6am to 12
midnight). Over this 18-hour period, this hungry beast consumes 250L of diesel.
Over a year that’s enough for me to drive my car 1.2 million kilometres (or 60
people to drive their car 20,000kms)! And that doesn’t include the energy used
to transport the diesel to this tiny remote island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">And while the village
load rarely exceeds 50kW at any time, a generator this big is needed to manage
peak demand in the morning when everyone’s freezers go into over-drive and to
provide some redundancy. So there is a lot of diesel being burned and not all
of the energy that is being produced, can be used.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The current energy
load profile for Vaitupu is hinted at in paragraph above. At 6am every morning
when the generator comes on, all the fridges and freezers that have slowly been
thawing over the past 6 hours, turn back on. And they have to work very hard for
the next few hours to cool everything back down again. Things start to settle
around 11am and then there is another peak in the evening when everyone gets
home, starts cooking dinner and turns the lights on. The current load profile from
an average day is plotted below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcU8h-cxo5ia9OTuw4NrQasFgL0a_-HPGHgf6TBnrm0dUFuoLvEm9Z_axAWnQtrN_CImhCecnE3FaluQ3tfgctgoPTepp-W8ZrQxC2QHG7S_Wr6ig9D_16jZu-z3OCgDPLgN3Z253pRqGF/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcU8h-cxo5ia9OTuw4NrQasFgL0a_-HPGHgf6TBnrm0dUFuoLvEm9Z_axAWnQtrN_CImhCecnE3FaluQ3tfgctgoPTepp-W8ZrQxC2QHG7S_Wr6ig9D_16jZu-z3OCgDPLgN3Z253pRqGF/s1600/Untitled.png" height="162" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Average daily Vaitupu village energy use</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Once the solar system
is turned on, it is expected that the load profile will level out. There will
still be a bump in the evenings but no more morning peak and less work for all
those exhausted refrigeration motors; fridges will now come on for a few
minutes every hour; food will stay frozen; fans will keep running overnight
keeping mosquito’s at bay and visiting Kiwi’s will be able to sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Back at the
powerhouse, the battery state of charge will slowly go down overnight. And then
when the sun comes out in the morning, the solar array will start pumping
energy into the system fuelling the village and simultaneously recharging the
batteries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">For the geeky geeks,
here is a graph from a day last week in Pukapuka (Cook Islands); a system that
Dean installed December last year. The blue line is the village load. Red line
is the solar energy utilised by the system. Light blue line indicates what potential
solar energy was available to harness on that day. But batteries were already
charged by 11am and the system was clever enough to only draw in what was
needed for the rest of the day to cover village load and keep topping the
batteries up ready for the next overnight drain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qE8UkFjpUfTAh6RWHyD75RQa6T-xLPeZwL6WKkYQTUMUyZVo_4JkjDLepa5ttJlMaRuycbcybmpgA3-pZ4hUSEI6-K9zPN7P74tf91uBevO1Q3n6bILRPl3Lx0xwN5USea8_Bdh894nG/s1600/graph1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qE8UkFjpUfTAh6RWHyD75RQa6T-xLPeZwL6WKkYQTUMUyZVo_4JkjDLepa5ttJlMaRuycbcybmpgA3-pZ4hUSEI6-K9zPN7P74tf91uBevO1Q3n6bILRPl3Lx0xwN5USea8_Bdh894nG/s1600/graph1.png" height="125" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">And here’s another
cool graph.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVQpBPyC7PxBT6uN7cTdA-kVcdAGSdfn-xVwT0HuvPxaN5QbSd3LVfPRZLu8MCRH8ilT1Nv3gybatA0W6fniYLrwFBND1Og9RTlAuz7-tGezq28AOX3wdbcH11fkKmKO8Eb5PO6FX5VNy/s1600/graph2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVQpBPyC7PxBT6uN7cTdA-kVcdAGSdfn-xVwT0HuvPxaN5QbSd3LVfPRZLu8MCRH8ilT1Nv3gybatA0W6fniYLrwFBND1Og9RTlAuz7-tGezq28AOX3wdbcH11fkKmKO8Eb5PO6FX5VNy/s1600/graph2.png" height="129" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Worked it out yet?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">This is how energy
flows through the system. Overnight, energy is being drawn from the system at a
relatively constant rate and the battery state of charge slowly drops. When the
sun comes up, suddenly there is a lot more energy coming into the system than
going out. The batteries are charged by 11am and the solar inverters slow down
the draw from the array. Throughout the remainder of the day the system draws
enough energy to power the village and keep topping up the batteries. Then the
sun goes down and it all happens again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Note: each line represents a different cluster
of batteries and their different rate of charge. SMA charge algorithms were
charging the batteries at different rates this day. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">So that was class #1. Still
following? Time for class #2.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">I said before that we
are harnessing energy using component building blocks which allow us to package
it up into the most efficiently transportable resource so that we can
distribute it where it is needed or store it up to use later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Power = voltage x
current – these are our electrical basics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Simply put, voltage is
like pressure and current like flow. You can have a skinny pipe with high
pressure but low flow sending the same volume of water down the line as a fat
pipe with low pressure. The same applies with electricity cables. The voltage
at which you choose to move electricity around has a lot to do with the cost
and practicality of cable thickness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwumFUO2pjygzdLNW-8Wh8WBpJXYknTY-d6sFqBqk78HpgqvDj8AMzBKamc8pOAa7PKOO0c-lEljBbWPhy-ZCoRDeJAOy6GQu3PezaFWR9O_wX2U5Yy9uOlZ9fwIcpBUrQwugHfkmE_OD/s1600/IMG_2955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwumFUO2pjygzdLNW-8Wh8WBpJXYknTY-d6sFqBqk78HpgqvDj8AMzBKamc8pOAa7PKOO0c-lEljBbWPhy-ZCoRDeJAOy6GQu3PezaFWR9O_wX2U5Yy9uOlZ9fwIcpBUrQwugHfkmE_OD/s1600/IMG_2955.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even working with relatively thin cables is hard work</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">When solar panels are
connected in series, the voltage of each panel is summed together. If each
panel has is rated to 34 Volts and 8 Amps, a string of 10 panels connected in
series will deliver 340 Volts at 8 Amps. Connect two of these strings in
parallel and you have 340 Volts at 16 Amps. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">At the front end of
the system on Vaitupu is the solar array comprising 1,608 solar panels. Each
solar panel has a voltage of 38V and can produce a current of 8 amps at full
power. The electrical configuration of the array comprises strings of 24 panels
connected in series delivering 912V-open circuit voltage at 8A. These are then
paralleled going into the inverter to raise the current to 32A resulting in a
total solar inverter capacity of 410kW across 15 inverters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The solar panels are
connected to solar inverters. These inverters change the direct current (DC)
energy from the solar array to alternating (AC) energy that can be used to
power homes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">At the other end of
the system is the battery bank comprising 576 2V batteries. 24 of these
batteries are connected in series to produce the equivalent of a single 48V
battery with a current capacity of 3,670 Ah. Two of these banks are then
connected in parallel to produce a 48V 7,040 Ah battery cluster weighing just
under 10T. Vaitupu has 12 of these battery clusters and is the biggest system
we will build in Tuvalu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRf3IIUFg5J-xnfQKRYVOyB99OCfEp1mHlXOMmZswwpBFqYNKpgpxoWL-sR-8m8guxlzfidiH0NI7IQdlRKAFkUp5IlPpZrtMFc76Es1bQloGAeZpDKTfyqrx_ZxvgHGpHL88-WAvB_3e/s1600/IMG_2889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRf3IIUFg5J-xnfQKRYVOyB99OCfEp1mHlXOMmZswwpBFqYNKpgpxoWL-sR-8m8guxlzfidiH0NI7IQdlRKAFkUp5IlPpZrtMFc76Es1bQloGAeZpDKTfyqrx_ZxvgHGpHL88-WAvB_3e/s1600/IMG_2889.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what 120 tonnes of electrical storage looks like</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The batteries are
connected to 36 battery inverters. These inverters change the DC energy stored
in the batteries into AC energy that can be used to power homes. These
inverters have the technology move energy bi-directionally. They can charge the
batteries when the sun is shining, or draw energy from the batteries at night
to power the village.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Everything is
connected to the multi-cluster box, which runs the show.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The whole system is
based on series and parallel. The solar panels are connected in series and
parallel to raise both the voltage and current, the solar inverters are connected
in parallel. The batteries are connected in series, and then in parallel. The
battery inverters are connected in parallel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Why? Series allows us
to build the voltage up high enough that transmission of the energy becomes
practical; we would need a cable as thick as my leg and as heavy as a tractor
to transmit 38V (and very high current) electricity from the array. And having
many of the same unit running in parallel creates redundancy in the system.
This redundancy means that in the event of a failure in any part of the system
the system as a whole will continue to operate. It also means that this section
of the system can be shut down and isolated for maintenance without having to
turn the power off completely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Just like Lego after
all.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Neo Sans Std"; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-NZ; mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On Friday this week we have
the 6<sup>th</sup> and 7<sup>th</sup> form (Year 11 and 12) physics students
visiting the site. We’re excited to open the doors and let people see what is
being built here. Hadley will be fielding the hard questions. </span><!--EndFragment-->Heather Logiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327314462365054070noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5275579601828942814.post-58257498493406005212015-02-17T12:27:00.001-08:002015-02-17T12:27:29.017-08:00A big first week on site<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">What a week! It feels
as though an eternity has passed since the Komawai reappeared on the horizon
with our two missing comrades and remaining equipment aboard. It was only 8
days ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">The unloading process
recommenced last Saturday and after almost two weeks holding our collective
breath, there was a shared sigh of relief with the arrival onshore of our
crates. In two of these; our much longed for food supplies. In a third; our
bicycles. And last but not least, the tools we’d need to start work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">By Monday night we
were loading the civil equipment for McConnell Dowell that will now go on to
Nanumea including a tractor, trailer and one of the excavators. In the fading
light, finally independently mobile and re-energised on spaghetti, chocolate,
muesli and tinned peaches, we started to feel like ourselves again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhMOsIaQeNKSFrqlAnmT7j8QAzoT5xBldjySbyaivgy4ktMayPcOCm4Y_ZKKo7TVtvJH8QpD6z4I3AIaEWlC0jevgyB4ZmovsW5clgz9irb5jIIFNMJNHnbKj9o7r6CeiMwNnMPe35NIj/s1600/IMG_2471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhMOsIaQeNKSFrqlAnmT7j8QAzoT5xBldjySbyaivgy4ktMayPcOCm4Y_ZKKo7TVtvJH8QpD6z4I3AIaEWlC0jevgyB4ZmovsW5clgz9irb5jIIFNMJNHnbKj9o7r6CeiMwNnMPe35NIj/s1600/IMG_2471.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally have our transport</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">On site Tuesday
morning, the chaos started to give way to order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By mid-afternoon I’d realised that my most valuable tool
through the months ahead is going to be my steel hunting knife that Shane made me
buy the day before we left. I can tear through the most stubborn packaging
tape. And I’m learning to open my own coconuts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">By Tuesday afternoon,
tool boards were up, building mark-out was complete, a mountain of packaging
had collected behind the powerhouse and the first battery rack jigsaw puzzle
was spread across the floor. Under torchlight Tuesday night, we measured and
marked drilling holes for the first array. We were underway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEX8RxowfpKwNYoMffR4-YKTL6jXywB_WzkmsFDuRR2AJFvqqB7YQzMERi-_5Eyd-9YNlPHEgIDteoDsu_LYafUiavgD2o9q64PNmDFvHdc86N6s38Y-N4hoS6vqsi8wJVymtAkOVJ-pt-/s1600/IMG_2555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEX8RxowfpKwNYoMffR4-YKTL6jXywB_WzkmsFDuRR2AJFvqqB7YQzMERi-_5Eyd-9YNlPHEgIDteoDsu_LYafUiavgD2o9q64PNmDFvHdc86N6s38Y-N4hoS6vqsi8wJVymtAkOVJ-pt-/s1600/IMG_2555.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Array team stalled by rain on day one</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Our schedule over the
next 5 months has us partially completing the system on Vaitupu before moving
on to Nanumaga, Nanumea, Niutao and returning to Vaitupu late May to complete
the main array. Groundwater issues discovered when clearing the site in
November resulted in McConnell Dowell halting work on the main array foundation
until an engineering solution is agreed with MFAT and the local Kaupule
(council). The McConnell Dowell team is due back here after we leave to
complete foundation works. Our hope is to have the powerhouse fit-out and
smaller battery charger array complete by the time we leave here in just under
3 weeks time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GGcG8zuLsUMO-i2DGVDd2teGTvUKcg6XA1-rZDO96XGANCqcel_5oYPvMatsb5xWgTdEIcnLbJV9fEoXpONgFfK3yI7Cet3flFAlcMo9HEL-tY4bd4y4zt-oxbvbIx9iqoGEl96O70h6/s1600/IMG_2586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GGcG8zuLsUMO-i2DGVDd2teGTvUKcg6XA1-rZDO96XGANCqcel_5oYPvMatsb5xWgTdEIcnLbJV9fEoXpONgFfK3yI7Cet3flFAlcMo9HEL-tY4bd4y4zt-oxbvbIx9iqoGEl96O70h6/s1600/IMG_2586.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Site overview - powerhouse centre, SIC array right and main array left</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">And we think that is
achievable. Our local workers have earned our immediate respect for their
positivity and strong work ethic. By Thursday morning our team had grown from 5
to 15. And they would work 14 hours a day if we felt we could keep up with
them!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In efforts to manage
our enthusiastic workforce, we have split off into three clearly defined teams:
Hadley’s electrical team, Roger and Marty’s array team and Heather’s battery
team. Shane likes to think that we are all his team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In the inverter
corridor, Hadley has been orchestrating a fine ballet. Alongside him, File
keeps asking questions about what all the equipment is and Vilium, Aneila and
Paka are unflinching when told that half the inverters now have to be taken
down and moved 200mm to the left (thanks to the inaccurate drawing). The
electrical crew now have all the inverters mounted, the multi-cluster box in
place and cable tray ready to fill. Visible progress is fast but will slow from
here as they begin the complex cabling process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Outside, camaraderie
in the array team is at an all time high. Three days in and they’ve knocked up
a 50kW array. Working out in the heat, regular coconut stops are essential. One
of the local boys scrambles up a 20m high tree like it’s a staircase. Epati,
Bean, Konza, Ety and Sammy have lanolin dripping down their arms from the
freshly lubricated bolts. Dropping one in the sand earns a jibe from Roger –
“fall behind and you’re next up the coconut tree”. On Monday they start
tightening fastenings, grouting trestle feet and digging trenches for the
cabling. Another 360kW still to go in May will be a walk in the park. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VL8Fd6NVOXTV2-jwVRWPReH_dTiye9tkCZjJmtsr447s7DyXoOI8s-BPJWrcyGQsOVVipBCm2cVcuTpsAO517hFKjnlyGNAthmndxkDmvQmLdzHhh9NMOqp4Mz04MKDvNOY5lxgu4J4s/s1600/IMG_2633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VL8Fd6NVOXTV2-jwVRWPReH_dTiye9tkCZjJmtsr447s7DyXoOI8s-BPJWrcyGQsOVVipBCm2cVcuTpsAO517hFKjnlyGNAthmndxkDmvQmLdzHhh9NMOqp4Mz04MKDvNOY5lxgu4J4s/s1600/IMG_2633.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SIC array framing went up in a day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In the battery room
it’s all I can do to stay one step ahead of Bob, Eddi and Puaa. When we opened the
first battery rack on Tuesday my only head start was a technical drawing and
some notes from Dean. I try to anticipate the next question and am grateful for
their patience when I demand for the seventh time that we recheck the diagonals
to make sure it’s square. It’s a slow process but they will be a well-oiled
machine by rack number 12. Just in time to move onto Nanumaga and start all
over again with a new crew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Hot on their heels,
the battery loading team of Peter, Fata (Greenstuff), Teanua and Polevia are
carefully and steadily lifting and positioning batteries. At 200kg each, a
dropped battery will crush your foot. One rack holds 48 batteries and each must
be lifted into place and slid onto the rack in the right position ready for
connection. The dangerous process of connecting batteries is on hold until we
can clean many of the connecting cables that have corroded in transit and
storage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">At the end of week 1
we have 3 ½ battery racks built, 2 ½ now stacked with batteries. The 55kW Sunny
Island Charger array is up. The inverter corridor looks almost finished with 36
Sunny Island inverters, 12 battery disconnect boards, 24 Sunny Island Chargers
and 15 Tripower solar inverters and switchboards all hanging. The multicluster
box is in the building, cable tray is up and the real work begins tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And in the background of
all this activity, the import of what we are here to do has become evident. The
ferry is running late and we’ve been on diesel rationing for a week now.
Generator hours have been cut from 6am to midnight down to 8am to 10pm. But
today the generator is struggling. It’s 7:30pm and it’s died for the third time
today. We suspect that it won’t be coming back on again tonight.</span><!--EndFragment-->
Heather Logiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327314462365054070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5275579601828942814.post-53968361655480295982015-02-02T20:52:00.001-08:002015-10-14T19:12:37.391-07:00A growing obsession with food<div class="Section1">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once the ferry leaves,
Vaitupu is almost a closed system for another month. Except for fish, all food
is now either packed into the shelves of the six little stores across the
island, growing 20m up in the air or scampering through the underbrush foraging
for scraps.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Our starting frame of
reference is New World or Countdown – 20 isles filled with every conceivable
packaged food, more than 100 different types of bread, fresh fruit and
vegetables transported from every corner of the globe, a meat isle so large
that the chicken section alone has 7 different flavours of skewers and the
sausage section offers varieties as obscure as lamb with sage and fennel. With
a plastic card we can walk out of that store with almost anything our heart
desires. And then go back again tomorrow to find the empty slot on the shelf
full again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">As our adventure
stretches into week number three, we are like newborns having to rebuild our
relationship with food. Where it comes from? How it gets to us? What our bodies
need to run and jump and to concentrate on site measurement calculations and
precision excavator driving?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Still waiting for our
crates to arrive, we’ve been emptying the stores. There is a store which stocks
tinned pineapple but there are only two tins left. Yesterday the island ran out
of sugar. And I think I bought the last box of Weet-Bix on Friday. The shelves
are thinning out but there is plenty of rice, palm oil and grape soda. There is
also jam, Sao-like crackers, sweet biscuits, tomato sauce, soy sauce, tinned
mackerels and corned beef. We cannot yet bring ourselves to eat the corned beef
as it looks, smells and tastes exactly how I imagine cat food to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I cannot describe my excitement
when I found I could buy onions and garlic – the starter and key flavouring in
every meal since.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">In our first days
here, we treated ourselves to a sampling of the local food. A platter prepared
by a local family filled with rice, breadfruit, cassava, fish and chicken, much
of it cooked in generous amounts of oil. I couldn’t quite face day 3 of the
same so we’ve since been trying to cook for ourselves, a task which has only
been possible with the assistance of our fabulous house-frau, Lily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Our staple dish is
fried rice. Onion, garlic, rice, a tin of soggy mixed vegetables and lashings
of soy sauce. It’s actually pretty good. As we start to navigate the pathways
by which other food is procured, our menu expands. From the hidden freezers out
the back of little stores, Lily has helped me to find chicken bits, pre-cooked
pork sausages and a 2kg bag of the fattiest lamb chops I’ve ever seen in my
life. BBQ’d with a side of fried rice and a glass of coconut water; we chewed
every morsel off those bones in absolute silence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SHlULlMEllXJG4XXz10tYPbV1e65a6pixQGWv8J6Yl8N6EakwgLKO0vuGCE7n-5xkSbJ8i6WDt2NaAFk3Zhl4yqSjgZ6tHEgFB8BGH01m1T14fYJW1ldZqDchk9lL5lwc6eEqtGPky4M/s1600/IMG_3621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SHlULlMEllXJG4XXz10tYPbV1e65a6pixQGWv8J6Yl8N6EakwgLKO0vuGCE7n-5xkSbJ8i6WDt2NaAFk3Zhl4yqSjgZ6tHEgFB8BGH01m1T14fYJW1ldZqDchk9lL5lwc6eEqtGPky4M/s1600/IMG_3621.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The makings of "fried rice"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdNcrxcKJ1y6HNbprHzI0FCBRJFsVcflpHxZiVulYVhgKYjIh5m7jyk9K1hq-pvhhLpF1Ux4mHhCo5iACV5RmtgCVM2P17JLNyPtHjl7fuxK6DZArJEEgqgONHmsfgyIk6V676xStDrSs/s1600/IMG_3620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdNcrxcKJ1y6HNbprHzI0FCBRJFsVcflpHxZiVulYVhgKYjIh5m7jyk9K1hq-pvhhLpF1Ux4mHhCo5iACV5RmtgCVM2P17JLNyPtHjl7fuxK6DZArJEEgqgONHmsfgyIk6V676xStDrSs/s1600/IMG_3620.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamb chops but not as I remember?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Then there is tuna. If
the weather is good, local fishermen will head out early and can be intercepted
at the harbour about 7am. At $2/kg, the freshest tuna I’ve ever eaten is also
the cheapest. We managed to get a 7kg tuna last week. Roger enjoyed every
minute watching my butchering the poor thing into steaks. There was a handsaw
involved. We were still eating tuna and breadfruit fishcakes 4 days later –
Lily’s special recipe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ObwGWqp4HmD75Aaxx0jOJYu06FNnteK6_7MIRmN_o0Ef2mEsrYrF9qr9iK_NS870AtUued53JVqS_eC-RR4PUHXjPLt_i8WNUQJi1WSamUpgpvab5yUudINpGdFOxUK6MCd522IUv79m/s1600/IMG_3626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ObwGWqp4HmD75Aaxx0jOJYu06FNnteK6_7MIRmN_o0Ef2mEsrYrF9qr9iK_NS870AtUued53JVqS_eC-RR4PUHXjPLt_i8WNUQJi1WSamUpgpvab5yUudINpGdFOxUK6MCd522IUv79m/s1600/IMG_3626.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gutting our tuna</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkwsVTBBZzAiVATQOBOpIMGZWTpREHupFZ5WNmga6MqVXaQpYxXQIXZFigpd5zcg6OT1ZULUqGNM2Jil8VR4Y_qvA0YA32e6G_PGjlSneX3BfuPig-sROGxQ7TGR40xfQhb-n7jTlFVpa/s1600/IMG_3635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkwsVTBBZzAiVATQOBOpIMGZWTpREHupFZ5WNmga6MqVXaQpYxXQIXZFigpd5zcg6OT1ZULUqGNM2Jil8VR4Y_qvA0YA32e6G_PGjlSneX3BfuPig-sROGxQ7TGR40xfQhb-n7jTlFVpa/s1600/IMG_3635.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lily preparing breadfruit for her fishcakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so while the
cupboards look bare, we are far from starving. Each new ingredient that we come
across is worthy of celebration. There is bread baked on the island; “donuts”
would be a more accurate description. The day I found a bottle of tomato sauce
coincided with our first sampling of Lily’s fishcakes. Today I discovered the
last jar of vegemite on the island and lunch was different to yesterday and the
day before. You don’t need a brimming pantry afterall.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">But what we crave more
than anything else is fresh fruit and vegetables.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Last Wednesday Lily
produced a pawpaw from her garden. I’d seen a few trees around and had been
asking where I might buy one. Not easily it seems. That pawpaw tasted like a
swig of cold beer after a long day herding sheep. And then on Friday she
produced a bowl of bananas. We had these sliced on top of toasted slices of
stale donut on Sunday morning and were sure we were brunching in a posh café in
Ponsonby. And there was a cucumber for lunch in one of those early days after
we arrived. I crunched it down without a thought and only now realise I should
have savoured every bite. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Stuff does grow here
but it’s just not available in neatly refrigerated supermarket isles. And it
may not be simply a matter of money needed to acquire it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Vaitupu is more
fertile than I’d prepared myself for. It was described to me as a sand and
coral atoll with little or no soil. But the vegetation is thick and lush,
bursting with ferns and vines beneath a canopy of coconut trees, breadfruit and
Pandanas palms. Beyond the main village where most people live in small
concrete block houses, families own a “plantation” on which they grow coconuts.
A very few families also grow pumpkin, capsicum, bananas, pawpaw and even
tomatoes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7KPW-oUpirdsSTLqd1-peaxRX8zidV_9mIia72F_YDQYLXPuPzkdFeMAC6Djgx3azbPEVztL-WWPw8gC-xx1YJHZLKcTM6-MC5N2NoeZ5z_B1fIW2n03HbvK9JZjxccJtyea8leagrNZ/s1600/IMG_1946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7KPW-oUpirdsSTLqd1-peaxRX8zidV_9mIia72F_YDQYLXPuPzkdFeMAC6Djgx3azbPEVztL-WWPw8gC-xx1YJHZLKcTM6-MC5N2NoeZ5z_B1fIW2n03HbvK9JZjxccJtyea8leagrNZ/s1600/IMG_1946.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It feels as though you could grow anything here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We would gladly pay
$50/week to have a delivery of bananas, pawpaw, pumpkin, fresh eggs, capsicum,
cucumber and tomatoes. The fact that we can’t suggests that there is no local
demand for this food that might motivate someone to start producing it beyond
their own needs. There are hundreds of chickens but no eggs? Is it too hard to save
them from the rats? There is an agricultural centre on the island of which the
locals are very proud. On it a plantation of coconut trees in neat rows…
surrounded by acres of bush comprising mostly coconut trees? The only other
vegetables that are grown in any quantity are taro and cassava alongside the
road to the High School.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLTH5Gk00Yo4XrdWWj_34uPeidogacysN7Ig456L9Bms6u2BwXdvWEXrzKjhMsF7pSmozhmNg-tqlz5u3w1aTcn7rwrnjO6Ljj_qJDLvKGPxNoSMU8x7xhcS_QXHfYGRG1QY2mTkH_f1y/s1600/IMG_3625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLTH5Gk00Yo4XrdWWj_34uPeidogacysN7Ig456L9Bms6u2BwXdvWEXrzKjhMsF7pSmozhmNg-tqlz5u3w1aTcn7rwrnjO6Ljj_qJDLvKGPxNoSMU8x7xhcS_QXHfYGRG1QY2mTkH_f1y/s1600/IMG_3625.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best bananas you've ever tasted!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">We’ve wondered why
there isn’t more effort put to producing greater quantities of fresh produce on
the island since the land is clearly fertile and the climate conducive?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">But why produce what
is not needed immediately or can be sold/traded for those items? Taro and
cassava are vital staples in the local diet. Eggs obviously are not. And
coconuts can be traded with Funafuti for money to import rice, soap, soda pop,
laptop computers and Internet minutes. Coconuts travel well. Paw paw would not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">And while our being
here presents a current demand for these non-staple foods, we are also a
short-term market. We will be gone in a month and who will pay money for
cucumber and capsicum then? In the meantime I’m thinking of putting a poster up
on the wall of the guesthouse:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">WILL TRADE CHOCOLATE, MULTIGRAIN BREAD AND CANNED PEACHES FOR COCONUTS, PAWPAW, BANANAS,
CUCUMBER OR TOMATOES<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br clear="ALL" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span><!--EndFragment-->Heather Logiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327314462365054070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5275579601828942814.post-54361387849017381782015-01-23T17:20:00.001-08:002015-01-23T17:20:28.114-08:00Discharge on Vaitupu<div class="MsoNormal">
From the
air-conditioned comfort of the Powersmart offices in sunny Mount Maunganui, my
eyes skim down the program schedule for and casually bypass a line that reads
“discharge vessel”. I’m looking for installation period estimates so that I can
quantify food supplies for the duration on each island and the magnitude of the
task implied by those little words is completely lost on me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">The Komawai
set off from Funafuti wharf a little after 7pm on Monday with 5 intrepid
adventurers packed in a 20’ container. Departure had been delayed again at the
last minute to optimise arrival into Vaitupu for Tuesday morning with a full
day ahead for unloading. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">The Komawai
is not a big ship or a new ship and every inch of rust-riddled space was jam
packed with gear. Those brave enough set up makeshift hammocks on top of the
battery racks and dosed heavily on travel-calm. Roger disappeared and was found
a half hour later in the galley sharing the crews’ dinner. The less forward
members of the team had to make do with noodle surprise and hope they didn’t
see a second time around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9XbHpm0aHeeKCAU2NFHPPFgFqjUVS6Vjv3_vX4_nHiLaXkcDVEUM4zxn95sFem3gvCU4Qkb4GGA2E1ozm0gjLomlfqAZwsT4czQ0cvL2RS8Zktr1BLvRT0mmVgatyNXdAwAbVivkYEBz/s1600/IMG_3516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9XbHpm0aHeeKCAU2NFHPPFgFqjUVS6Vjv3_vX4_nHiLaXkcDVEUM4zxn95sFem3gvCU4Qkb4GGA2E1ozm0gjLomlfqAZwsT4czQ0cvL2RS8Zktr1BLvRT0mmVgatyNXdAwAbVivkYEBz/s1600/IMG_3516.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Komawai II</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We sat on
the deck and watched the lights of Funafuti disappear into the distance as the
sky darkened. With it went our last air connection to the rest of the world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Noise on
deck drew us out of various states of sleep about 6am to the sight of Vaitupu
from the deck – a long thin line of lush coconut trees broken by a small
concrete harbour and a half dozen fishing boats in front of a grand Church. By
8am the crew had eaten breakfast and we tossed our bags overboard, followed
down a rope ladder into a dingy and were motored in to shore. Roger gallantly
volunteered to stay aboard to oversee unloading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeL5l6fd-A2av2RToCyTobT-sWZplJqpKfutvh4xgllwkfwoovTbSSKsGfRhVnfKXd_-pwL0HPb3JQWcIBca3RN3ebGmGtF8cK5zHHk3CeVVxTq66zDq_Smrd4bhcT1df2-Jh6YLiMGjz/s1600/IMG_3564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeL5l6fd-A2av2RToCyTobT-sWZplJqpKfutvh4xgllwkfwoovTbSSKsGfRhVnfKXd_-pwL0HPb3JQWcIBca3RN3ebGmGtF8cK5zHHk3CeVVxTq66zDq_Smrd4bhcT1df2-Jh6YLiMGjz/s1600/IMG_3564.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abandoning ship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then
began the process of discharging the vessel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">The size of the task?<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">The Komawai
is 70m long and I would guess no more than 12m wide. It has a large hold
accessed from a set of rusty steel doors at the bow of the ship. And a crane
that is used to lift cargo into the hold and then onto the closed hold doors.
The Komawai is carrying over 500 tonnes of gear and equipment for the solar
installation component of the project. Because we are reliant on an excavator
that can only lift 1 tonne at a time, there are more than 500 individual
crates, pallets and bundles of gear to be discharged (many of them buried deep
within the hull of the ship). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">What do they have to work with?<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Vaitupu is
surrounded by a shallow reef that stretches about 100m from the shore. The Komawai
cannot risk hitting the reef and must constantly drift or motor in deep water
off shore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Perched on
the bow of the Komawai are two small lighters (about 7m x 3m), each with an
outboard bolted on the back. These floating platforms are used to ferry cargo
from the ship to shore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Vaitupu has
a harbour. It is about 60m wide with a narrow channel blasted through the reef
to create a passage that is accessible at both low and high tide. The Vaitupu
harbour has a crane that can lift cargo from the lighters onto transport to
move it to site. Vaitupu is the only island with this level of infrastructure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">We are
lucky to have two tractors with 3 tonne rated trailers and two 1 tonne rated
excavators to lift crates from the trailers to the ground on site. When the
Komawai leaves it will be taking one of the tractors and one of the excavators
on to Nanumea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">How do they
do it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Individual
crates or boxes are lifted from the open racks on deck by the crane. Stevedores
race about on deck catching hook chains and positioning straps to each load
before it is lifted into the air. Everything must be timed so that the weight
at the end of the chains is lifted at just the right time so that it swings out
over the water and can be dropped onto the bobbing platform below. At the same
time the buoyancy of the ship and the lighter don’t match. At any moment the
lighter can be 3m from the deck or 10m from the deck. Three brave souls “catch”
the cargo as it is dropped onto the lighter and position it for transport to
shore. Once a lighter is loaded (a precarious activity that could take more
than an hour), it sets off for shore. The small lighter can carry about 7
tonne, the larger once twice that so a round trip, which could take as long as
2-3 hours might only deliver 7/500ths of our equipment to shore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwgdSxsFS7ScjnZy8cyoyXqn_dKPRgg35U0u4KQ8rzjIls4nvwcpLjTVTBf4kcN-aqH0Gl4BopPvSS-PzESrTU83SIK_M-lYUDynbcdxbakUZsCSALEYLPeXkU5ZBkH7HjhOzgKeWG1vk/s1600/IMG_3583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwgdSxsFS7ScjnZy8cyoyXqn_dKPRgg35U0u4KQ8rzjIls4nvwcpLjTVTBf4kcN-aqH0Gl4BopPvSS-PzESrTU83SIK_M-lYUDynbcdxbakUZsCSALEYLPeXkU5ZBkH7HjhOzgKeWG1vk/s1600/IMG_3583.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bigger of the two lighters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuwR4cnBO4rDJZ9CuuQgQX_GPFNINAuJi9Bjm_ugxSUua2w3W8RTdBXrmXg2OoVtXBhMbXveLuRYUbUzM6VPBawndcfQ1hnDU8gujDt-i5bFnbwy-H9x8dLjVHttfnIxkMNZEkhI91dGg/s1600/IMG_3587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuwR4cnBO4rDJZ9CuuQgQX_GPFNINAuJi9Bjm_ugxSUua2w3W8RTdBXrmXg2OoVtXBhMbXveLuRYUbUzM6VPBawndcfQ1hnDU8gujDt-i5bFnbwy-H9x8dLjVHttfnIxkMNZEkhI91dGg/s1600/IMG_3587.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lifting onto the wharf. Komawai on horizon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the
other end, a frantic crew position strops through the pallets so the crane can
lift them directly onto the back of a trailer. On site, both excavators are
lifting pallets off the trailer and carefully positioning the gear on site so
that it won’t be in the way when we start work. With both trailers going, and a
1km trip to site, we had a conveyor going yesterday which was keeping up with
the flow of equipment off the ship. In a full day we may have managed to unload
100 tonnes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTUr6M2haVYKCZXZ4gZejExksGkSNbvjZUpmt8kShZUd-2Ca5BPX6BYTsGhgxjbuDAJpshVHCpg1pire8LQN6mjllftfu7fOddUcRXtp6UqPJv6wl1sK8DWGPcTqpuAcYAHCtTOevFvYC/s1600/IMG_3579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTUr6M2haVYKCZXZ4gZejExksGkSNbvjZUpmt8kShZUd-2Ca5BPX6BYTsGhgxjbuDAJpshVHCpg1pire8LQN6mjllftfu7fOddUcRXtp6UqPJv6wl1sK8DWGPcTqpuAcYAHCtTOevFvYC/s1600/IMG_3579.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblOgXadl6iDLvL4YoJs3sbnGwovVNy-ssHhFelrfGORlfiOYVQfqUsLjgsaKttp-a9jeRgfKk4f6nxU0y3hsSYDcl1kdztdFM_OZbsqnm6S80B1AJ3BM0yENSY70-ftX0jL-I0AL-lQRi/s1600/IMG_3573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblOgXadl6iDLvL4YoJs3sbnGwovVNy-ssHhFelrfGORlfiOYVQfqUsLjgsaKttp-a9jeRgfKk4f6nxU0y3hsSYDcl1kdztdFM_OZbsqnm6S80B1AJ3BM0yENSY70-ftX0jL-I0AL-lQRi/s1600/IMG_3573.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our excavator masquerading as a forklift</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And then
just to keep us on our toes, there is the weather. Today the swell has picked
up again and it is too dangerous for this precarious off-shore dance to take
place. The Komawai has disappeared over the horizon to a safe distance so the
captain can take a break and stop worrying about the reef. We will all be out
there at 7am tomorrow morning watching for her return.</div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">In the
meantime, we are surviving on Weetabix, tuna, rice and breadfruit as our crates
of food are buried in the stern of the ship and are likely to be the last items
off. When they do finally arrive it will be like Christmas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Heather Logiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327314462365054070noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5275579601828942814.post-47867298113747666212015-01-17T14:20:00.001-08:002015-01-17T14:20:33.949-08:00Final preparations in Funafuti“Fiji Airways have a new plane!”, Alex, our Beca liaison exclaimed as we shuffled out into the muggy air at Nadi airport. From her look of relief, I wonder what the plane she travelled on in October looked like? This is our second to last jump on the trip from Tauranga to Funafuti, the capital of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvalu">Tuvalu</a>.<br />
<br />
We make it to Suva with minimal incident. There is thick greenery below and mountains as far as I can see with a few four wheel drive tracks scrambling through it all. I wonder what the mountain biking is like in Fiji? Wet and muddy? The tractor towing our luggage trundles across the tarmac blowing black smoke and delivers our bags to a lazy-Suzan sized conveyor belt. Everyone scrambles to find their bags so they can be loaded straight back onto the plane we just jumped out of. Within 30min of landing we are in the air again.<br />
<br />
After more than 2 hours of continuous blue ocean below, something light blue and then green appears. The outer ring of the Funafuti, Tuvaluan atoll. We are 1,000km north of Fiji surrounded by ocean. This is our last plane flight. It will be a boat from here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DViKJdd92lj9MQWW2C88hwc9Vg72R9Bi3bKzpaRrFUUuP7cdvCZrPgQbmGMbPnN38G9fUyNoB41MItcgvM6Hp16h_749FpLHP83P7H5jdVAyhrs9lgoUMydhQ0I2AenIvWM40LBVf8Az/s1600/IMG_3377.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DViKJdd92lj9MQWW2C88hwc9Vg72R9Bi3bKzpaRrFUUuP7cdvCZrPgQbmGMbPnN38G9fUyNoB41MItcgvM6Hp16h_749FpLHP83P7H5jdVAyhrs9lgoUMydhQ0I2AenIvWM40LBVf8Az/s320/IMG_3377.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>Outer rim of Funafuti atoll from the plane</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Funafuti is the most populated island of Tuvalu with just over 6,000 regular residents. There are two regular flights a week from Fiji. And it’s a big event. A siren sounds 30mins before the plane is due so that the volleyball nets and soccer goal posts can be moved off the runway. Everyone is out to greet new arrivals and farewell those going away to work or school (in Fiji and beyond). We are warmly greeted by Tuvalu’s MFAT representative, Mati Afelee and the Tuvaluan Electricity Corporation GM, Mafalu Lotolua.<br />
<br />
The heat is noticeable but it’s probably only 31 degrees. The humidity is something else. We are all sweating after the 50m walk to the hotel and elated to find the air conditioners in our rooms blasting cold air (set at 17 degrees for the visitors). We progressively adjust the temperature setting up to 28 degrees over the next few days as there will be no such luxury on the outer islands. We need to acclimatize.<br />
<br />
And it’s been a busy acclimatization period!<br />
<br />
Shane has been fostering our network of important contacts. These are the people we are going to rely on for support over the next 5 months as we juggle people movements, shipments of equipment, access to port real-estate, customs and quarantine, food and fresh water supplies and cultural sensitivities with our fingers forever crossed that the internet will work today.<br />
<br />
And Roger already has a “coconut man”! A friendly fellow at the end of the island who makes model houses and boats to sell at a craft stall when the plane comes in, but whose job this week is to climb trees and collect coconuts for Roger. I think Roger has made more friends so far than the rest of us combined!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpvCFPUgVRW_oldmzayyk3Rr91l7aVTlk6npIEA9TmPT5Vnm2uEpSYVusIRRSVoiXSinMzhXvHkc56rkfcQQ3iFRcY86Uu6gJsG15HP_sJSXWTfDs3cRlezDodGYCiEnR4BFs9w60Xhnf/s1600/IMG_0100.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpvCFPUgVRW_oldmzayyk3Rr91l7aVTlk6npIEA9TmPT5Vnm2uEpSYVusIRRSVoiXSinMzhXvHkc56rkfcQQ3iFRcY86Uu6gJsG15HP_sJSXWTfDs3cRlezDodGYCiEnR4BFs9w60Xhnf/s320/IMG_0100.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>Roger and friends playing with his new iPad</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
And there has been plenty of time to frantically scour the local shops for last minute forgotten items. But it’s not shopping as we know it. The shelves in the small stores are loaded with tinned and packaged goods, the freezers filled with suspicious packages of meat which may or may not be still frozen. Onions were the only “fresh” food available. We did find a hardware store which had a tarpaulin (for shade on site and to catch rainwater). And after traipsing through at least 6 stores I found a spare can opener to take with us on the boat tomorrow and an extra pair of sunglasses. If we are missing anything else on the outer islands, Funafuti is the closest source – a 3 week ferry delivery away.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadcEj7eOsH6n4RMzTa-ZppJhKdHOuAwmBjs2ZVL-VZirZ8rx5ZPuObyiCl7uKElln4Kn6brRa7HC5r4YDYRPy3ZNWgFtxvUEdYPuhxTAychw3dVga1uxGBx-fKx4y6YdCqtzcluCmmxW6/s1600/DSCN0596.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadcEj7eOsH6n4RMzTa-ZppJhKdHOuAwmBjs2ZVL-VZirZ8rx5ZPuObyiCl7uKElln4Kn6brRa7HC5r4YDYRPy3ZNWgFtxvUEdYPuhxTAychw3dVga1uxGBx-fKx4y6YdCqtzcluCmmxW6/s320/DSCN0596.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jSiuTgpttP4qmJL2GMqIVHL2ehsLwzHZUmdTL9j8tu0BYSkzOzntWdCgWgAekNe2gTdamuZocGef1um33OCEZOsUwRLWRvoPW5oErVSqA-d3ldxMUiEpEroOCR5sTRbBLHq5lmpKRb4d/s1600/DSCN0593.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jSiuTgpttP4qmJL2GMqIVHL2ehsLwzHZUmdTL9j8tu0BYSkzOzntWdCgWgAekNe2gTdamuZocGef1um33OCEZOsUwRLWRvoPW5oErVSqA-d3ldxMUiEpEroOCR5sTRbBLHq5lmpKRb4d/s320/DSCN0593.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>Supplies available inside the local stores</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
But it’s not all networking and shopping sprees.
We spent a day at the port trying to marry up our equipment lists and understanding of the shipping schedule with the crates and containers of PS gear which are sitting at the port. Despite the clutter and confusion, a missing (borrowed!) strap, and the fact that the fork-lift has been out of action all week because of a flat tyre, it all seems to function somehow. It impresses me that anything makes it to the end of the journey but it does.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCr8_5ap_fzG3qts5JzquSoHKwLC4nYyVARcexh-S8EZs-1-GTtfV1lFAig5pQ_OcRKLyGFO_Ym3J3FFH3bNy7OjhN9DXxXrYTafOE-OIS2hqJM0MH3k6ZWn_ndoAi-N3i8nDav4D3tJk/s1600/IMG_3417.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCr8_5ap_fzG3qts5JzquSoHKwLC4nYyVARcexh-S8EZs-1-GTtfV1lFAig5pQ_OcRKLyGFO_Ym3J3FFH3bNy7OjhN9DXxXrYTafOE-OIS2hqJM0MH3k6ZWn_ndoAi-N3i8nDav4D3tJk/s320/IMG_3417.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAbCk4FrFWauBelJlLfnYxddXmmz9nN_BdpEQaKAD8IhqrpXWcKiPFpq_m0DIi76-MJzhq1Y-_3WojUv5AwfL9jslWKPm1OGUU4fFCk5n2U6p6E3C-q3akXwqUKZ0nU9YzmLs_z4_JcsH/s1600/IMG_3418.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAbCk4FrFWauBelJlLfnYxddXmmz9nN_BdpEQaKAD8IhqrpXWcKiPFpq_m0DIi76-MJzhq1Y-_3WojUv5AwfL9jslWKPm1OGUU4fFCk5n2U6p6E3C-q3akXwqUKZ0nU9YzmLs_z4_JcsH/s320/IMG_3418.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>Some of our equipment weathering the elements at Funafuti port</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The boys spent yesterday making timber braces for shifting the batteries (each pallet weighing almost 1 tonne) and crates of panels. Experience from the Cooks left us with a number of damaged batteries which were crushed by the strops used to lift them from the open container onto the small lighters which are used to deliver them to shore. We will get to test out their handiwork on Monday.<br />
<br />
We’ve also had some time to understand what other projects are underway at the moment and the context in which some of this aid work is taking place. There are 2 other solar projects happening – another funded by MFAT on the Government building and a UAE funded project next to the TEC building. Each has its own challenges – the steeply sloping 12m high rooftop of the Government building which requires everyone to operate on harnesses with edge protection, and the tidal water which keeps filling the footings next to the airport. We will have our own.<br />
<br />
There is another solar project here on Funafuti which we explored on Thursday. In 2007, a Japanese project installed a system on the grandstand of the sports field. Containers were used in place of buildings to store the inverters. In a too short time, the containers have rusted shut, the cabling under the panels is hanging loose and some of the panels themselves are damaged. The containers were silent. As far as we can determine, the system is no longer operating. It is a reminder of how harsh the environment is but also demonstrates how key the maintenance schedule for our project will be.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFKhjncPOoIOnT37gIM04neQ-xocNFnoWzlDeU0dN-BFiF0x5A_EZQQ4Ijms5dRdLvMPqZokKVQLEXjgvg6JGCqv0cx-C38fnbYINPXgiqXWumQ9xksTskItkIly53bUVGATjBVwN6wx1/s1600/DSCN0625.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFKhjncPOoIOnT37gIM04neQ-xocNFnoWzlDeU0dN-BFiF0x5A_EZQQ4Ijms5dRdLvMPqZokKVQLEXjgvg6JGCqv0cx-C38fnbYINPXgiqXWumQ9xksTskItkIly53bUVGATjBVwN6wx1/s320/DSCN0625.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgO43sKnxml43KJcFrDbftRceWE4PQC1Xc377-veTItj9pSvPoF9sHXHfLBk1bVPjBczhUVz5vep3o8HQ0BJtLQLVKwoQpdGyhDt_0m1tgZo3NNZb1Z0vFRN6VeBJZtTFnwnlEqBpVxW9/s1600/DSCN0631.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgO43sKnxml43KJcFrDbftRceWE4PQC1Xc377-veTItj9pSvPoF9sHXHfLBk1bVPjBczhUVz5vep3o8HQ0BJtLQLVKwoQpdGyhDt_0m1tgZo3NNZb1Z0vFRN6VeBJZtTFnwnlEqBpVxW9/s320/DSCN0631.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>The Japanese system constructed in 2007</i><br />
<br />
There is another project underway to remediate the borrow pits – dug out by the Americans to construct the runway during World War II. Over the intervening years the pits have been treated as rubbish dumps with pig pens and peoples houses crowding in along the edges leaching effluent. When the tide rises, so does the level of the water in the pits leaving people clambering to stay out of the gunge. It will be an immense project to clean these up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jKdE97fh8jhSvEBpqKM8Sy06Muy2CqByS6-XzlIzPqc1PUvnR45uPl3FndIydwQ6jX6gQDa1shAmO-IKoaXo7ZSN9Mh8JVJzM7QU5ltU51e7QLAmq508UCWvJHolWcvkDCoxuJ_LXqk6/s1600/IMG_3487.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jKdE97fh8jhSvEBpqKM8Sy06Muy2CqByS6-XzlIzPqc1PUvnR45uPl3FndIydwQ6jX6gQDa1shAmO-IKoaXo7ZSN9Mh8JVJzM7QU5ltU51e7QLAmq508UCWvJHolWcvkDCoxuJ_LXqk6/s320/IMG_3487.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>Borrow pits</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Tomorrow afternoon we board the Komawai II, the PDL shipping vessel which arrived this morning with all our solar equipment for Vaitupu on board. It will be far less crowded than the ferry would have been (left this morning) and we will be able to leave 2 team members on board when we get to Vaitupu to help coordinate unloading. We are frantically trying to make or source fishing nets (hammocks) to sleep in tomorrow night. There are bunks in a container on board for us. But the crew seemed more than happy to relinquish these for the team? Could be that lying on a narrow bunk having your head constantly lolling from side to side and bumping against the wall or the rail isn’t recipe for good night’s sleep?<br />
<br />
We are all anxious to begin. But just being here makes everything feel more possible than it did trying to make plans and anticipate events from New Zealand. From here on out, we must learn to work on island time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87wXzuW03BML4zrvfOvElLsit1TIf65zzzxrIAWRbkLRBO_Lzi4qNAazFoKLEduzZbME2BNGLqGvYIydLq9VdYQX3AsV55HY7t9oWoxs8nJu3V6fxoOGL1ktgaucRAMRzYcvWb_-wWNdK/s1600/IMG_2379.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87wXzuW03BML4zrvfOvElLsit1TIf65zzzxrIAWRbkLRBO_Lzi4qNAazFoKLEduzZbME2BNGLqGvYIydLq9VdYQX3AsV55HY7t9oWoxs8nJu3V6fxoOGL1ktgaucRAMRzYcvWb_-wWNdK/s320/IMG_2379.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>Every evening in Tuvalu</i>
Heather Logiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327314462365054070noreply@blogger.com2