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June 09, 2009
Progress
Days left until leaving for India: 21
Last semester while reading a book for a class, I stumbled across a concept that I like: as the order in a system increases, the time between significant events decreases. The faster that significant events happen, the faster time is perceived to pass. Well, since time seems to be zipping by, the only logical conclusion is that the order in my life is increasing, right? Or something like that anyway…
So anyhow, a whole lot has happened in the three weeks since I last blogged, but I’ll stick to the (somewhat) relevant bits:
First of all, I wrapped up the research I had been working on for my mentor Dr. Adelman. I was putting together educational material on nine operas, and doing the research on each one was great; besides discovering a whole new world of music (check out the Three Tenors version of Nessun Dorma: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNQeKvVPPlc ), it gave me a chance to build up my endurance for working on the computer and get better at organizing my time.
Also, I signed up to take the GRE on June 25th, so I’ve been toiling through two books in preparation, which I feel could be aptly titled “Want To See How Much You’ve Forgotten Since Second Grade?” and “Here’s A Bunch of Words You’ll Never Use Again.” However, the process is coming along well enough, and I’m hoping that my time in preparation will pay off in spades. 1600! 1600!
I’ve also made huge steps in planning for India, and it feels good to see the project taking shape so well. Briefly, here’s how the system will work: the solar panels will utilize the energy of the sun to create electrical power. Since the sun isn’t always around (nights = dark, clouds = shade), the computers can’t rely on the solar panels directly. Instead, the power generated by the panels will be stored in batteries, which can be trusted to supply power continuously as long as they are charged. However, to make sure the batteries aren’t damaged from overcharging or discharging too deeply, a charge controller will sit between the panels and the batteries. To actually use the power stored in the batteries, the electricity has to be converted from DC to AC, which is accomplished by an inverter that will be connected to the batteries. After passing through the inverter, the power will be available in a form that the computers use, as a 220 V pure sinusoid signal. In summary, here’s the signal flow: sun -> solar panels -> charge controller -> batteries -> inverter -> computer.
It will cost roughly $2000 to power each computer this way, and the goal for this summer will be to get two computers up and running. I’m looking into one possible source for getting the equipment, and you may have heard of it too – the Barefoot College in Tilonia is an organization that trains illiterate women from rural villages to build and design solar powered systems, empowering women to empower themselves. My mom visited the college in a recent trip to India, and picked up a sheet detailing the necessary equipment to power a system using solar photovoltaics and the associated costs, so I’m in the process of contacting the head of their solar department. My uncle who I’ll be staying and working with also has a possible source, so we will either go with one or the other, or possibly both in order to compare quality and cost effectiveness.
During my visit this summer, in addition to getting the two computers up and running, I’ll also be doing a good amount of picture taking and video recording. When I come back to Ann Arbor in the fall, I plan to make a short video that depicts the current situation, the progress we made in the summer, and what work still needs to be done. I’ll be distributing the video to organizations in the hopes of raising the money to power the rest of the computer lab, or even get the equipment donated…we’ll see we’ll see! Then following my graduation in December, I’ll be headed back to India to scale the system up to its full size and hopefully set up a way for similar projects to develop.
Last weekend I had the chance to visit home, and while there I caught up with family and friends, ate two ice cream cones at the Pit Stop (peanut butter mackinaw island fudge and moosetracks) and spoke with our good family friend Mr. Benda about the project. He designed a similar system that uses a wind turbine to power his house, and speaking with him really helped to solidify concepts that I was unsure of, as well as raise questions that I hadn’t previously considered. My parents also stocked me up with good Indian home cooking and advice on how to move around in India (tip #1: don’t eat the meat), so now I feel like I’m pretty ready to get going.
Finally, last week orientation began for the incoming freshmen, and in tragic news, my favorite computer in the Fishbowl is no longer available. I feel like a grumpy old man having a bunch of hooligans let loose in my private workshop. And yet, seeing them struggling bravely through the process of backpacking classes, I am reminded of myself from a few years back, when places like “North Campus” and “the Dennison Building” were exotic and far off lands waiting to be explored. Sharing the Fishbowl with them, l like to think about how we are both sitting on the verge of the next stage of our lives – for them, college and leaving home for the first time. For me, India and a trip into the real world for the first time.
Bloggingly Yours,
Raj
New Song of the Week:
“Yesterday” by Marvin Gaye ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li9an3BC_QU )
Posted by avable at June 9, 2009 04:31 PM