I was originally booked on a flight back to the US on April 3o, but I decided to extend my stay in South America for over a month and take in Peru on my way home. Hoping to practice my Spanish some more I decided to sign up for a volunteer opportunity for the month. Through my research I came across Bruce Peru, a nonprofit organization set up to help children with basic education. Even better, Bruce Peru also had a small project that involved working with a expat American, Michael, who was trying to set up a Peruvian based business that would make wind generators and solar water heaters. The organization, Wind Aid, was established to provide affordable energy solutions for Peruvians that did not have access to electricity from the grid (approximately 25% of the countries citizens do not have access to electricity). Given my interest in getting into the renewable energy space when I return to the states, it was a great opportunity for me to get exposure to the field. After a weekend stop in Lima (that's the Presidential palace above), where I stayed with my Mom's cousin it was off to Trujillo for the month.
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| A Wind Aid wind turbine (2 KW) - From Peru |
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| Solar hot water panel - From Peru |
Working with Michael and his team of two Peruvians, I helped construct wind turbines and solar hot water panels from basic materials and advised Michael on ways he could improve his production and grow the business. A true start up, the company was based at Michael's house and we used his garage for construction of the product. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about the challenges of manufacturing and operating a business in Peru, where even the process of getting raw materials and parts can at times be challenging.
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| Building turbine blades - From Peru |
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| Cathedral in Trujillo - From Peru |
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| View from the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo - From Peru |
When I wasn't working I was able to take in the historic city of Trujillo, the third largest city in Peru, and the surrounding area, which included a number of pre Incan ruins. Once impressive site was Chan Chan, the largest Pre Columbian city in South America. The city lasted from AD 850 to approximately 1470 AD when it was conquered by the Incans. Thought to be the worlds largest adobe city, it is impressive site that spreads out over 20 square km.
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| Chan Chan - From Peru |
In addition to site seeing I also tried my hand at surfing in the nearby surfing town of Huanchaco. While I did barely manage to get up, I found that I do much better when the ground isn't moving beneath me.
I was originally booked on a flight back to the US on April 3o, but I decided to extend my stay in South America for over a month and take in Peru on my way home. Hoping to practice my Spanish some more I decided to sign up for a volunteer opportunity for the month. Through my research I came across Bruce Peru, a nonprofit organization set up to help children with basic education. Even better, Bruce Peru also had a small project that involved working with a expat American, Michael, who was trying to set up a Peruvian based business that would make wind generators and solar water heaters. The organization, Wind Aid, was established to provide affordable energy solutions for Peruvians that did not have access to electricity from the grid (approximately 25% of the countries citizens do not have access to electricity). Given my interest in getting into the renewable energy space when I return to the states, it was a great opportunity for me to get exposure to the field. After a weekend stop in Lima (that's the Presidential palace above), where I stayed with my Mom's cousin it was off to Trujillo for the month.
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