I have no words…I cannot put sentences together…Joyous unloading of the container, FECECAV employees, solar technicians, SunPower Afrique. Nothing broken! By far the most popular item for our solar team was the radio Jon brought, which they immediately turned on and began dancing to those contagious West African beats, squealing with delight. All smiles at our American equipment and electrical supplies, and after the customs inspection, we got right to work.
Thursday we organized ourselves and starting mounting racking. This was the most invasive and noisy part of the installation, requiring small holes drilled through FECECAV’s thick concrete roof to bolt down the teak racks. Some FECECAV employees immediately freaked at the thought of collapsing roofs, unruly electricity coming down from the roof, the "smell" of batteries...showcasing the biggest challenge for the expansion of a solar industry in Togo, one we will have to combat head on and defeat with education if this dream is to suceed: lack of knowledge and understanding. Funny that the same ignorance exists in the US.
Our team took turns with the electric hammer drill, thrilled and engaged. They are so animated and hard-working, I will never be able to describe enough my pride and how fond I am of these boys. I will post videos and pictures when I have a better internet connection, as everyone in the world should share in this sheer delight.
Saturday and Sunday we pulled wires.
Today we are connecting batteries and installing ground wire, this afternoon we will run AC wiring to the meter and prepare for interconnection.
All installation techniques reinforced the electrical design and knowledge gained in training – once again I translated to French from Ron and Jon’s English (I am completely exhausted of talking...never thought I'd say that haha...if there are any professional translators out there reading this, I salute you), spotted throughout of course with my joking and laughing with my crew in Ewe. Me also loving every minute. I am unaccountably happy :)
This Thursday will be the grand unveiling. A Togolese PV system commissioning. The mayor will be there, the radio, all of FECECAV and my solar team.
Le vrai lancement de SunPower Afrique au Togo!
More to come…
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