Mayan Power and Light

June 25, after noon EST Microsoft will match your donation to ATC:  http://bit.ly/MPL_Donate

Microsoft is matching 100% all donations to ATC! With your help we can provide light to over 16,000 people every year! On Wed. June 25th after 12:00 noon EST please donate to ATC. 

All donations will help us start solar businesses owned and run by Mayan Women. From experience each business will sell over 1,000 home solar power systems per year, making money for the businesses, saving money for each household and creating a cleaner future for us all.

More information is available in the attached brochure:  http://bit.ly/MPLJune25

Our Guatemalan team, SEA, has been working to develop a richer curriculum that uses a variety of solar panels.  In addition to providing solar lights to homes that lack electricity, there is a call for larger systems that can offset some of the cost of electricity in Guatemala.  

Guatemala has a multi-tiered system where the first bit of electricity is pretty inexpensive, but then the costs go up dramatically.  Even people with very low incomes and low electric usage end up paying the higher fees.  SEA has developed a large solar panel that offsets a significant amount of electric current and saves families a lot of money.  

We will have much more on these slightly larger systems soon.  SEA is working with a non-profit that builds houses in low income communities and they are interested in 40 - 80 watt systems.  

Here in the U.S. we are working on a second year curriculum that will reinforce what students learn in year  one plus it will add a section on transistors.  (Transistors are really easy to teach, I'm surprised we don't teach this here)

I will be back in Guatemala in July, we have a group who will be installing solar in August.  

More soon,

John

Links:

• ATC Projects in Latin America Article