Roots & Wings International
in association with
Project Lighthouse
Reforestation and Sustainable Energy Programs in El Salvador
First solar installation in Tacuba - July 2005
audience for 1st solar installation in Tacuba Tauba installation
More than 50 people were awaiting our arrival at the home of Rodriguo Contreras, a brick maker and consumer advocate who lives in Tacuba, El Salvador. We started by explaining how solar works and the components we would be installing.
panels making panels
Everyone wanted to get into the act. Here we are assembling the photovoltaic panel
and preparing it for installation on the roof.
on the roof maria
Sajed Kamal, our solar expert, and Rodriguo are checking out the location on the roof for the panel. Maria is securing the panel to the roof from inside the house.
installing lights turbococina
Here several people are holding up a ladder so that one of the lights can be attached to the ceiling. Renee Nuñez is assembling his "turbococina," an innovative stove that is highly efficient and produces virtually no polluting emissions.
turbococina and old stove maria cooking on the turbococina
The turbococina (pictured in the foreground) uses 4% of the wood needed to cook on the traditional stove, but the cost of the stove is prohibitive for most Salvadoran families, even with microcredit financing
Here Maria is making the first tortillas on her new turbococina.
avi cooking avi on the turbococina
Avi Davis of Project Lighthouse tries his hand at cooking tortillas—first on the traditional stove, then on a turbococina.
Rodriguo's family
This is Maria Luisa, Rodriguo's daughter-in-law, with her children and friends, who now live in a house with solar electric light and a turbococina.
Making solar photovoltaic panels
maria soldering soldering
   
checking the cells testing in the sun
 
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