Hey there Hivers, hope you're buzzing nicely, each in their own, unique, and at the same time all-connected frequencies 🐝
This is a different post than usual, because today I am going to do something I am really bad at... I'm going to ask for help! Not the desperate kind of help call, but the kind that says: "hey, you could accomplish this much sooner if you just ask for assistance".
As some of you know, I am living in a small shelter in a patch of land that is mainly willow forest, located in southern Chile. I would like to feel comfortable blogging the adventure, but my cellphone is always running out of battery. So I need your help to power me up, but don't run away just yet, I'm not going to ask you to fund me (though you're welcome to do so if you wish 😁).
This shelter has been built to serve as an initial base for a community that has veganism and permaculture as basic values, which is also meant as a way of being respectful to the forest, soil, and water. I have considered buying small solar panels with the capacity to charge a phone, but I'm scared that they will be of poor quality and of shabby performance from bad experiences I've had before.
I'm thinking that if I'm to invest on solar energy I should try to get something decent right from the start, something that will not only help me blog but that will be a good asset to the future community. A good solar panel in my opinion should be enough to charge phones, notebooks, provide electric heated shower, and light a few bulbs at night.
Ok, so here comes the fun part, the part where I tell you how you can help me 😅. Since I don't know much about the technical details of solar power, I'm feeling I should study a little before making a decision. I'll be getting my hands on some books such as:
As you can see, they have different focus and I'm guessing that different levels of complexity. With the printed copies, I'll be able to study from the shelter and not have problems with lack of battery and the such.
The knowledge I gather I will try to present in the friendliest way I can come up with here on Hive, through a series of posts covering all that I find is relevant regarding the materials used for solar panels, voltage, amperage, inverters, installation, etc.
My idea is that if you're finding the posts useful you can make a donation and tell me how you would like me to use the donation. For example, you can tell me to buy a specific panel, or a book you find is useful, or you can tell me to save it up for the big panel and all the necessary equipment to install it properly.
You can also send me your old solar equipment that has been lying around the house after you made an upgrade. You can share info relevant to the post on the comments. Perhaps you have some link to some hard to come by PDF that you could share as well.
Now, if you want, I invite you to take a look at my previous posts and check out the way I'm building and what I'm trying to achieve. Maybe the idea might seem appealing to you and that will inspire you to share some funds for the project that is coming along.
So that's it for now. If you're interested in the content regarding solar energy that is to come, let me know in the comments and I will tag you every time I publish a post on that topic.
Drink lots of water, take in the sunlight, and live your blessings 🍀 Thanks in advance for those who took the time to read!