40 solar panels on the roof of the working space 3.
The core-piece of the solar plant in the technical room.
The batteries are joined and arranged in a series.
Delivery of the solar system.
December 15, 2018: The plant successfully started operating at 8:00 am.
The 3 panels of the first solar plant in 2013.
Omri building the kitchen in 2013. On the roof the first solar system in operation.
On 15 December we were finally able to boot up the new solar system. For our life here this means a quantum leap. The SMA system operates a three-phase grid and with a wattage of 13.6 kW and a capacity of up to 40 amps, it leaves nothing to be desired. Machines start up like “Grasshoppers” and even the welding only triggers a small purr at the inversor in the technical room. In order to complement our permaculture with an irrigation system and the large kitchen building, an expansion of the solar system to a total of 28 kW is planned. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Alain for his tireless efforts in installing and starting up the system. Although the system is of top quality and forms the heart of our project, the purchasing and installation was anything but smooth and efficient:
When we moved in on 5 October 2013, we ate dinner by candlelight. However, the first solar power was soon to come. Already on October 25th the candle became history, almost history. Because the batteries took it precisely with the warranty and after only 2 years they gave up. With new batteries came new hope but the result remained the same. We now knew that we wanted a more sustainable, more durable and safer system for the next installation. All the longer took the evaluation of the new system. But when in November 2016 we finally wanted to order the proposed system in Switzerland, the order was rejected with the reason “We do not deliver to Brazil”. The whole process started all over again. On 22.12.2017 our order was finally confirmed by the new supplier. Now the worrying began: Will the plant arrive as long as Alain was here with us for the assembly? But the delivery was delayed and so he decided to travel back to Switzerland before assembling and installing the plant in June 2018. But unfortunately the customs blocked the cargo and it was also not possible to install the system during this visit. It was not until the 4th of July that the shipment finally arrived at Terra do Caju and so Alain returned for the third time to Brazil for the installation. From November 3 to mid-December he installed the first stage of the system for us. On December 15th it was finally time and we were able to harvest the first sunrays of the day with the help of the new plant.