Janie and I went to Black Mesa, Arizona as a part of the Black Mesa Indigenous Support Project which began several years ago. The project has an annual caravan to Black Mesa in November to help the elders gather wood, herd sheep, do repairs, drive to town, etc in preparation for a rough winter on the mesa. We went ahead of the caravan to stay for a couple of weeks and herd sheep or basically do whatever else they might need.
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| The best grazing was among the sagebrush or at the bottom of washes |
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We were pretty nervous about the sheep herding at first, not knowing the lay of the land, what the sheep might do, how we wouldn't lose them, etc. We were pretty well prepared from the BMIS materials but none-the-less, we were still pretty worried. The sheep herding was wonderful in the end and perhaps we'll write more about that at another time.
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| Our coach parked at Glenna's house |
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So we parked our motorhome, fully self-sufficient with solar panels, charge controller and inverter outside of the house for our time there. It became quite ironic that here we were sitting on 80 billion tons of coal that Peabody is extracting to power Phoenix and Las Vegas, and our new Dine' elder friend has no electricity in her house. Whenever we went into the house during early morning or evening, she was getting lights from a Coleman propane lantern.
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| Our goats and sheep with Peabody coal in the background |
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Janie and I talked it over, prayed about it and decided to offer to go to Flagstaff to
Northern Arizona Wind and Sun and see what a small solar powered system would cost for the family. After working out the details of their needs, we opted for a single Kyocera 135 watt panel, a Morningstar ProStar 15 charge controller with meter, two six volt deep cell batteries and a 300 watt pure sine inverter from Xantrex. Total cost of this setup with cables was just under $1100.00 not counting some of the transportation expenses, etc. Here are some photos:
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| Kyocera 135 watt panel mounted to the roof |
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| Morningstar ProStar 15 charge controller with breaker box |
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| We installed two 225 amphour six volt batteries |
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| 300 watt xantrex pure sine inverter |
It was quite a joy to see our new friends just switch on the lights when they needed them, and to watch them as they monitored the charge controller and watch how well the sun kept their batteries charged. As we did the project we learned about other Dine' elders who also are without electricity. We're hoping to bring solar to more families next year.
As you read this if you feel called to be a part of the project, please email me and ask how you can help. Here are some ways you could help:
- Help fund this year's project (before our credit card bill shows up will be preferable).
- Help fund future projects.
- Brainstorm with me in advisory capacity on selecting the correct system/ where to purchase.
- I'm still learning about solar and some of you are much more versed in this than I.
- Go with us to Black Mesa next year to help with installation, you don't need an RV.
Just drop me an email at
learn7peace@yahoo.com.
Thanks for reading, please keep the elders of Black Mesa in your thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely, Martin Bates
