Africa has alot going for it but a dependable electrical infrastructure isn’t one of them. One day the whole continent will have cheap, dependable and ubiquitous 240V but not in my lifetime, probably.
Plug and Pray
Even in a more developed country such as Senegal and even in the capital, Dakar, the electricity can be “flamboyant”. Complete blackouts, brownouts, power spikes other voltage fluctuations can cause pretty unpredictable consequences. With some creative voltage levels applied I have seen a photocopier turned into a... smoke machine! It was a thing of beauty, like an upturned waterfall spilling out foamy white smoke. The repair bill was pretty ugly though.
Getting your House In Order
The first thing you want to do is, if possible, re-do the wiring in your dwelling. I’ve seen such things as
- unterminated live wires either exposed or hiding in the cement.
- unearthed houses, ubiquitous in the (11 month) dry season because the water table retreats from the earth rod.
- pick-and-mix electrical wiring where colour-coding gives way to guess work
So, when you’re packing you’re stuff, pack a voltmeter, that could come in handy.
You should also:
- Protect your sensitive pieces of equipment with voltage regulators:
- Unplug electrics during lightning storms
- Get to know a good fridge-compressor repair guy
Still in the Dark
Once you’ve done that, you’re still at the mercy of the vagaries of rolling blackouts and voltage fluctuations. What do you do when the lights, shine unusually brightly, dim and then go out. While you’re watching the lights and listening the fans speeding up and slowing down in unison the compressor on your fridge could have gone, never mind.
A Complete Solution
One could, of course, opt for a generator but they’re noisy, costly to run and it can be difficult to get a good one, but you really should.
One of the best strategies in the fight against fried electrics and darkness is to use a quality inverter-charger system.
They are noiseless, non-pollutant and have minimal running costs and, subject to your ability to negotiate with the customs guys at your local African airport can be taken into the country in a suitcase. Beware, though. The good ones are heavy and they look expensive, it might cost you substantially more money than you think to get it out of the airport... or not, as the case may be.
Here’s how the Charger-Inverter System works.
Mains Electricity ----> Battery charger ----> Electricity Stored in Batteries ----> Inverter turns battery power to appliance power!
Using this system you can power lights, fans and other small electrical items for hours, even days, depending on the size of your battery-pack and the wattage of your inverter. If the power remains off, hook a generator up to the battery charger to charge your batteries.
A Few Pointers
Get the most powerful battery-charger you can. Greater amperage means more batteries can be charged and that’s a good thing.
Get a battery charger that accepts a wide range of voltage because it will get a wide range of voltage. Mine works with 90 - 265V
Use a surge suppressor to avoid frying your beautiful battery charger!
Get the best and the most battery capacity you can get your hands on.
Get the highest wattage inverter you can and remember
Ground your charger and inverter, if possible.
Some Options
With a solar charge regulator and some photo-voltaic panels you can integrate solar battery-charging into the equation this may or may not be useful, depending on budget and location.
Wire your system like a UPS so that when mains power cuts, battery power turns on, instantly, great if you have a blackout at night.
Closing Remarks
For westerners electricity isn’t a convenience, it’s a necessity. It’s the number one technogical tool that God has given us to exercise dominion over the earth and it can be a real blessing, as well as a curse. Any missionary going out to the field ought to be aware of what the electrical situation is like in his assigned field and should budget accordingly. For trees to produce good fruit they need sunlight, for us to be productive of whatever kind of fruit electricity is our sunshine. Remember this when you’re supporting your local missionary AND when you’re supporting a national work. A short-term team that is able to source, buy and fit a robust inverter-charger system for a mission-station, translation team H.Q. or a missionary home would be a great blessing in the short and medium-term to any worthy missionary endeavour.
Inverter-Charger system I'm working on for a couple of friends that will soon be going to Tanzania. here
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