El Sol Simp tico
Laurie Stone
c. 1993 Laurie Stone
Working in El Salvador opened my eyes up to a whole new world 
of renewable energy applications. Not only did we install solar 
lighting systems and teach workshops on solar ovens. We 
actually saw the results of our work, and the changes that 
solar technology made in people's lives.
Julia Whelan, Ben Scott Luna and I went to El Salvador to 
transfer some of our solar energy knowledge. With the help of 
STI, solar companies who donated equipment, and friends who 
donated money, we headed south.
Photovoltaics
We installed the first lighting system in El Sitio, a rural 
community in Cuscatl n, north of San Salvador. This 250 
member community had fled the country due to the 12 year 
civil war and have recently returned to rebuild their 
community. Needless to say, they had no electricity, and 
desperately wanted lights. Three young men from the 
community became our apprentices, and quickly learned the 
principles of solar energy and how to install the system. 
The solar system was simple, consisting of one Siemens M53 
photovoltaic module, one SCI charge controller, one lead-acid 
(unfortunately shallow cycle) battery, and two 20 Watt DC 
fluorescent lights. There are no deep cycle batteries made in El 
Salvador, and we decided it would be better to stay with local 
batteries that they can easily replace, than to import a deep 
cycle battery from the United States.
We spent a week visiting numerous hardware stores in San 
Salvador and made several phone calls for technical advice to 
STI. Then, after one full day of work, the system was installed. 
We put it on the building which acts as the health clinic, the 
school, and the community center of El Sitio. After the 
installation we gave a talk about system maintenance to the 
three responsables of the system. We also gave them a solar 
still to provide distilled water for the battery. Obtaining 
distilled water in the Salvadoran countryside is quite 
difficult.
Lights for Literacy
People were amazed when the lights actually turned on. I, 
however, was more amazed with what people did with the 
lights. The very next night adult literacy classes began. The 
illiteracy rate in El Sitio had been 95%. Many adults had 
wanted to learn to read for years, but working all day and not 
having lights at night made it nearly impossible. Now people 
from neighboring communities all around were travelling to El 
Sitio to study at night. It was amazing to see, and made us feel 
good to think that we had made a difference in people's lives. 
However, I realized that what I was doing was not that 
incredible. Anybody who knows how to install a simple PV 
system could have done what we did. The incredible thing was 
what the people were doing with the electricity. Although Ben, 
Julia and I brought the technical knowledge, the people of El 
Sitio brought the ambition and determination.
We had another successful experience in the second community 
we worked in, Nueva Esperanza. Nueva Esperanza is also a 
community of repatriated refugees. However, this 400 member 
community is located in Usulut n, in the south of El Salvador. 
We installed a similar lighting system. We used a 150 Amp-
hour nickel-iron battery which was donated by Utility Free, 
two solar electric panels and four 20 Watt lights to light up 
the community center. After monitoring the system for two 
months we realized that they had a lot more accessible power 
than they were using. We set up a 400 Watt inverter, donated 
by PowerStar, so they can use some of their ac appliances 
which they usually ran on the generator. Now they can listen to 
music without going through endless amounts of D cell 
batteries, which is a major expense in the community.
The third community in which we worked was La Mora. We 
installed a lighting system on the schoolhouse. La Mora is one 
of the central communities in Cuscatl n, and the schoolhouse 
is quite large since it serves over 300 children from many 
neighboring communities. We ended up installing two Siemens 
M53 photovoltaic panels, two 220 Amp-hour lead-acid 
batteries, and six different light fixtures consuming 
approximately 80 watts total. The head school teacher told us 
how important the lights were because many children have to 
work in the fields with their parents during the day. Now both 
children and parents will be able to attend night classes.
Technology Transfer
The three men from El Sitio helped us install the Nueva 
Esperanza system and the La Mora system. They learned 
quickly. By the third system they had the panels mounted, all 
the connections soldered, the lights wired, and the system 
working after one very long day. The people in La Mora were 
ecstatic. We left feeling very confident knowing that the El 
Sitio crew could fix any problem that occurred and install 
more systems if the opportunity arose.
Solar Ovens
We also gave a workshop on solar ovens in Nueva Esperanza. El 
Salvador is highly deforested, and many people spend hours 
every day searching for firewood. By cooking with solar ovens, 
people are not only saving time, but also alleviating many 
respiratory and eye problems caused by the conventional wood 
fire cooking methods. For two months (while battling swarms 
of mosquitoes and absurd heat) we taught eight women how to 
build and use solar ovens.
The design of the oven is from PROCESO, the Central American 
Solar Energy Project, directed by Bill Lankford. Bill has been 
introducing solar ovens into communities in Central America 
for years. His model is easy to construct, relies on easy to find 
materials, and is simple to use. He has had so much success in 
other countries of Central America that we thought we would 
introduce his model to El Salvador. He gave us his workbooks to 
use, which give detailed steps in Spanish on how to construct 
the oven. The materials, such as plywood and cardboard, are all 
readily available in El Salvador. For insulation we used corn 
husks which are in abundance in Nueva Esperanza.
Oven Workshops
We had class three hours every afternoon. Although the women 
were busy attending to the great amount of daily work, they 
usually managed to spare three hours. They felt solar cooking 
was important to learn. Since the majority of the women knew 
nothing about carpentry, we started with the basics. We went 
over all of the tools that we were going to use, and explained 
some carpentry fundamentals.
Then we started building. First we divided into groups, and 
built three ovens. When those ovens were done we built three 
more. These went much faster than the first three. The 
greatest pleasure came in building the last two ovens. Each 
woman in the workshop had built two ovens already, and were 
practically experts in the solar oven field. The three of us 
hardly lifted a finger, and before we knew it the last two 
ovens were built.
Then came the fun part. We asked each woman what colors they 
preferred, and we showed up the next week with six gallons of 
paint. We had a big painting party. Each participant painted her 
own oven, and brought it home to finally use.
Solar Oven Success
We left Nueva Esperanza excited that the workshops went so 
well, but slightly apprehensive, wondering if the ovens would 
really get used. Using solar ovens does require a slight change 
of customary cooking habits. We had heard horror stories of 
ovens being used to store clothes and as tables. We also 
encountered many skeptical internationalists who told us the 
ovens would never replace people's normal cooking traditions. 
We were ecstatic to prove them wrong!
A week later we showed up at Nueva Esperanza to do a follow 
up check on the ovens. The visit was definitely encouraging and 
inspiring. Not only were the women using their ovens every 
day, but the ovens cooked with great success, reaching 
temperatures of 300ø F.
Solar Cooked Iguana?
We first visited Conchita, who had just taken perfectly cooked 
rice out of her oven. She told us how she cooked beans, 
potatoes and plantains, and was using her oven every day. Next 
we visited Mar¡a Juana, who had also just taken her rice out of 
the oven, after only one hour of cooking. She gave us some 
solar cooked bread she had made the day before. We visited 
each woman, and heard stories of how they cooked beans, 
bread, tea, chicken, pig and even iguana in their solar ovens. 
Morena, who was cooking beans as we talked with her, said 
that she now had much more time. She could put beans in the 
oven in the morning and leave. When she came back at the end 
of the day, they were cooked. She could go to school, and do 
things which she never had time for before. The solar ovens 
were a success.
Spreading the Word
Travelling to different communities and talking with people 
about their needs, we saw how solar energy can play a critical 
role in El Salvador. Besides lighting and cooking, solar energy 
can help with water pumping, grain drying, battery recharging, 
vaccine refrigeration, and drinking water. Once other 
communities saw the success that Nueva Esperanza, El Sitio, 
and La Mora had, everybody wants to utilize the power of the 
sun. Now that the technical knowledge is there, we hope it will 
spread.
Access
Author: Laurie Stone, STI, POB 1115, Carbondale, CO 81623 ù 
303-963-0715