I first learned about Solar Under the Sun or SUTS at General Assembly in Detroit just a few months ago. They had a booth there giving out flyers and brochures. I asked them about it because it's a curious name.
 |
| Solar Under the Sun Director Chris McRae (left) with General Assembly moderator Heath Rada (right) Picture from SUTS facebook page: |
Thus SUTS was born to provide small scale photovoltaic (solar electric) systems primarily to power LWW water filtration, or it can be more versatile and power lights and computers at a school or cellphone charging stations to serve larger community needs. They emphasize how important light is for education encouraging kids to keep reading and doing their homework after dark. Consider this story about kids in Guinea flocking to public parking lots to read because that's where the light is. What if Christians put lights in churches so kids could flock to churches to read? see the idea?
 |
| Young Guineans, without access to electricity, study under carpark lights at G'bessi airport in Conakry, Guinea. Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP. Image retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/mar/07/energy-poverty-deprives-billion-adequate-healthcare. |
It's really quite impressive. They started in Haiti a year before the earthquake and have since installed over 50 solar operating stations there and have built several in Hondourus, Kenya, El Salvador, and a few others. Trips are sponsored by different Churches and non-profits in the US who send funds and volunteers. Some funding churches have maintained close relationships over the years, others haven't. They have a story of one place in Haiti that the night they finished the system the power went out in the village, but the church they'd just wired had battery power and turned on the lights in the church. It was a beacon on a hilltop and the people came from all around to be in the light at the church.
Solar School is the training for mission teams to build SUTS power systems. Solar School is done at Camp Ferncliff where I live so I got to take it for free. Thank you YAV, SUTS, Ferncliff, and Jesus.
They offer two courses; Solar 1 which is most important as it teaches the theme of the work and Solar 2 that teaches all the technical intricacies on how to actually wire the system correctly. Both are important, but Solar 1 is essential if you ask me. Solar 1 graduates learn how to organize a survey trip, establish long term relationships with people in villages, truly understand the need for electricity and determine if solar is appropriate. They look for places to buy electronic equipment in the country where the build will take place and coordinate with the partners there to set up long term plans for maintaining the system. Solar 2 folks oversee the wiring, battery installation and maintenance so that it works without explosions or fires.
Click here to learn more about the next Solar School to take place in May 2015 here at Ferncliff.
I really enjoyed taking Solar 2 it took me back to Mr. Jenkin's 11th grade electric shop learning the different wire sizes, grounding practices, panel boxes, it was great, but I wish I could take Solar 1 to get more of the context and cultural appropriateness.
 |
| Participants of the 11th Solar School (I'm in the back left corner) |
The big idea here is to teach you not to just come in for a week, put up solar panels take a picture with some native smiling children, and fly back home to your high energy air-conditioned home to feel good about yourself. That's not the point.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. That's the point. You want to grow in faith and in partnership with other people in the world. You want to sit with them. Talk with them. Understand on the deepest level possible what life is like for them in their world and society. And then help in whatever way you can if that means installing a solar array and battery storage then good thing you went to Solar School. If they need clean drinking water hopefully you took LWW's Clean Water University. If that means just coming home and telling people what life is like there do that. If it means changing some spending habits do that. If it means bringing a friend to visit them next year do that.
Don't go in with a solution and force it on another culture, country, village, or family until you know them.
I think SUTS could emphasize that a little more honestly, but I am impressed with them putting relationships first. Solar panels won't solve all our problems, but they can solve a few. I come from the engineering background that has me wanting to build something to help people, and I met a lot of folks this week who just want to go somewhere and put in panels. I've been learning for a long time and especially this week how much more sustainable, and loving it is to pay attention to that personal relationship and build that up.
Jesus didn't give us a solution to Sin until he lived with us, and shared in our joys and pains for a little while perhaps we can bring a little more empathy and compassion along on our mission trips. And through Solar School we can bring solar energy as well.
Challenge: this week focus on building a relationship with someone you know.
Video retrieved from www.solarunderthesun.org
