Let There Be Light
Night Time Realizations (Details)
The realization came to me in two stages:
Stage one broke in on my consciousness because I know how dark it is in our dormitories
when the generator is off. I always sleep with a flashlight, just in case it
is needed. Dan and Cindy Slocum were going to be at the North Haiti Mission Station
in Caesse for five months. The Slocums have three children and I just hated the thought
that it would be pitch black in the dormitory where they would be staying, each night.
The generator is typically used until bedtime and then it is shut off.
Therefore I designed a battery powered lighting system using an inverter and compact
fluorescent lamps. The battery is charged using a battery charger connected to
the generator. Whenever the generator was used the battery was charged.
When the generator was off, the battery provided the energy to power these small lamps.
The second stage came when we decided to connect a compact fluorescent lamp to our
Battery System and locate it over the table in the dining hall.
Pastor Laroche, Vice President of North Haiti Mission, was sitting at the dining room table
when we connected the equivalent of a 200 watt lamp to the system. It was
bright - and Pastor Laroche exclaimed "
that is what Haiti needs."
That simple statement percolated in my mind and I began to realize how extremely difficult
life in the suburbs of Haiti must be without lights. It was during one of the minimum
sleep nights that I often have while in Haiti that I felt the impression that I should design
a small lighting system which would be powered by the sun.