Leeds Metropolitan University Volunteering in the Gambia

http://scoraigwind.blogspot.com/2010/08/leeds-metropolitan-university.html
http://web.me.com/anneschiffer/design_for_appropriate_technology_blog/Volunteering/Entries/2010/5/6_Leeds_Met_Volunteering_-_wind_power_for_Kartong.html

Constructing a wind turbine to charge batteries in Kartong village, The Gambia March/April 2010

Thanks Anne Schiffer

Leeds Metropolitan University Volunteering

Constructing a wind turbine to charge batteries

in Kartong village, The Gambia March/April 2010


Introduction

Several years ago Rupert Bozeat (RB) and a member of staff working in the volunteering department at Leeds Metropolitan University (Leeds Met) went to The Gambia to explore the possibility of setting up a volunteering project there. They did not find suitable partners at the time. However, RB returned in December 2008 accompanied by myself, to organise a trip for Leeds Met design students the following year. There we met Maurice Phillips and his wife, Geri, who (amongst many other things) run Sandele Eco Retreat near Kartong on the South coast of The Gambia. They turned out to provide an ideal platform for a Leeds Met volunteering expedition.






Training the volunteers

The first week of the excursion RB and myself had to train our student volunteers. This was one of the limitations of the volunteering project because ideally we would have taken a group of people who were already familiar with the work ahead. At first we gave an introduction to the workshop and equipment to be used. It was great to see the volunteers rapidly gain confidence using the machinery.

Health & Safety

It is important to recognize that Health & Safety standards maredly differ from the ones in the UK. In terms of the wind turbine this was especially noticeable in the way locals use electrical machinery including welding equipment. On occasion this relaxed attitude also transferred to the student volunteers.

bottom left: volunteer using an angle grinder in flip flops

bottom right: RCD to protect us from dodgy wiring

Local techniques and knowledge

right: a human jig saw

bottom left: to get a smooth finish on wood products timber is scraped with glass

bottom right: inferior chipboard is improved with a thin lipping


Other turbines

There are a number of turbines to be found along the coast between Kartong and Serrekunda. This includes several working (and derelict) turbines to pump water (bottom right); a 150 kilowatts turbine in Batakunku; a few smaller imported turbines including one at Sandele. The Sandele turbine meant that our wind project would be feasible in terms of the technology. We also came across one for sale in Kanifing (below).

They then started to work in pairs on the construction of a 3m turbine under our supervision.

top: carving a blade

right: resin test

far right: placing magnets to a metal disc.

bottom: resin casting

break

As part of their stay in The Gambia the volunteers had a two night/ three day break for sightseeing.

training the locals

After initial confusion about when the locals should join us and how many there would be we worked with about 20-25 Gambians over the next two weeks. These were mainly students from the Kartong Skills Centre.

Once more we started with an introduction to the workshop facilities. This time the pairs of volunteers took over this task which added another dimension to their experience (we emphasised the importance of passing on skills in this context) and also worked out great with the number of Gambians who participated.

Again a transition to working on the construction of a turbine (1.8m) then followed.

top: measuring out a blade

right: winding coils


things go wrong

Inaccuracies during the first two days helped us explain the importance of working with precision. Other mistakes, including a magnet being glued on the wrong way (my biggest nightmare come true) were an opportunity to demonstrate how to rectify errors. This also brought to our attention issues related to language and differences in education which essentially leads to the next point...

... mechanisms and techniques of knowledge transfer

Doing practical work generally makes it easier to overcome language barriers and other issues related to teaching. However, more abstract things such as an angle required us to be more creative in the way we taught. At this point the fact that we had volunteers who had not been experts in constructing wind turbines prior to the trip but therefore had other skills, became an advantage. For instance, two of the volunteers were doing educational degrees and knew how to explain what an angle is. On other occasions we designed contraptions (right) that helped explain mechanisms. In this case the way magnets move over the different coils and the three phases.

Also, see ‘final hours’ below for Richard Seymour’s idea of painting the blade tips in different colours to show if the turbine requires re-balancing in the future.

day to day

After the locals joined us at Sandele we generally worked with them until about 1 pm, then went for lunch, waited for the temperature to cool down and work on the 3m turbine in the afternoon/ evening.


a day at the skills centre

We did spend one day working at the Skills Centre in Kartong. Due to the lack of time, finances and welding equipment at the school it was not feasible to spend more time there. We continued work on the small turbine and returned back to Sandele in the afternoon.


where do we put the turbine

A small group including myself had already established that the space behind the Skills Centre would be ideal to place the turbine. There is already a small charging station for car batteries that locals use, the Gambians we worked with were mainly students and staff from the school (so they know best how to maintain it and hopefully take pride in the project), there is room to keep batteries, etc. safe and the obstruction from trees and buildings is minimal. However, we did have wait to arrange a meeting with the Village Development Committee (VDC) to get their approval and support. Luckily the VDC, the people from the Skills Centre, us lot and even the translator happily agreed.

right: back of the Skills Centre


the tower

As mentioned earlier we were on a very tight budget and we needed a tower at least for the small turbine. Maurice had come across a fallen down phone mast which we inspected at the beginning of the the trip. Actually there were two masts and both were in sections. There was enough material to create one or possibly two towers. However, the structure was owned by a national mobile phone provider and what followed was a drawn out bureaucratic process which meant Kartong village was allowed to have the tower but it did not actually materialize before our departure.

Useful links

• Leeds Met Volunteering http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/cpv/

• Sandele Eco Retreat in The Gambia http://www.sandele.com/

1.

•Hugh Piggott http://www.scoraigwind.com/
2.

•Centre For Alternative Technology http://www.cat.org.uk/
3.

•Materials for the construction of small turb