2018 Updates

Solar Projects - Battery Boxes

2018 was a big year for expanding our battery box program, which makes it possible for villagers to “carry electricity” home to where they live. After a year of prototype operation of our “battery in a box” at Khwamba, we were thrilled to learn that each of the 2 test boxes had been providing 9 hours of power consistently for more than a year now! During 2018 our team back home had worked together to construct and wire over a dozen more boxes, which we subsequently shipped to Malawi. While in-country we expanded Khwamba’s control facilities so that we are now able to simulataneosly charge 6 boxes, and increased the total number of boxes in “circulation” to 16!   Felix, Director of the Khwamba center, reports there was a waiting list for the additional units. 

Assuming continued successful performance, we will soon begin preparations at home to construct more boxes to implement a second battery box charging facility at another MOH center 2019.

We are also prototyping the modified lanterns at Khwamba, where we bypassed the ineffective circuitry, and modified the design to convert to LED bulbs so the lanterns can simply be plugged in to the battery boxes, essentially as "portable lamps".  We excitedly await news of community acceptance.