Navajo Solar Lights installation trip

~ eClub Rotarian Jackie O.

The Navajo Solar Light Project has been an on-going partnership between the eClub of the State of Jefferson and the Rotary Club of Durango Daybreak.

Gathering at Chinle Planning Hope to get instructions to load up where we’re going and who we’re working with.

The Navajo Nation is comprised of about 27,000 square miles of land in NE Arizona, Southern Utah, and NW New Mexico and is home to about 180,000 members of the Navajo Tribal Council. Approximately 16,000 people currently live "off the grid" with no access to electricity, sewer or water supplies. Since gasoline for their generators is frequently too expensive for these remote, mostly elderly tribal members, the illuminated portion of their day largely ends with the setting sun. A solar lighting kit that utilizes a roof-mounted solar array to provide charging power to three lithium-iodide battery packs that, in turn, provides power to an LED array. The included wiring systems allow us to place the three lights in areas designated by the clients, while a fourth line provides power for charging cell phones.

The primary beneficiaries of the project are Navajo elders (over 60 years), and those for whom light is needed to maintain indigenous crafts that perpetuate the Navajo culture. Additionally, an installation contributes to the success of a young student with their studies, children who can now do their homework each evening.

eClub Rotarians Jean and Jackie assisted with the May 2024 installation. We we’re only able to do one installation because the other locations that were given us either did not have the owner at home, wasn’t answering their phone, and the last case scenario was that the person that requested the solar was not actually needing it. 

(Photo Left-Robin handing Dan the panel)

A solar light installation can be difficult because of the different types of homes ranging from Hogan’s to shacks. At the installation Jean and Jackie assisted in, Dan tried to drill the hole through both walls of Leonard‘s house, but was unsuccessful, his drill bit was too short. Suddenly, Leonard went outside and retrieved to 2/12 inch long drill bits, he said he had never used him before. Dan was then successful in getting through both inside and outside walls. His wife Robin was outside trying to feed the solar panel wires into the house, but there was too much insulation and even with two different wires, she was unable to get the wires through.

Again, Leonard went out and brought back in a pair of surgical forceps, viola, mission completed. He had no idea what they were, or what they were used for but he found a new use for them outside of the medical field.

The groups were split up with folks only doing one day of installs to avoid too many on a team going to people's homes. A tour was available so that folks who want to do the tour, could do the tour one day and installs on the other!  (Photo Below - Music! Jean & Leonard then find a good country music radio station. Look at the smiles on their faces!) 

(Photo Below - Stringing the light lines. With Leonard's help, the crew places the light lines where he wanted them to be hung.)                                    (Photo Right - Solar panel installed.)

Installations complete! From left to right, Jean Hamilton, Jackie Oakley, Robin Clark, Dan Clark, Leonard Chee, and Nancy Dosdall.
Nancy is an engineer who helped Joe Willams start this program eleven years ago. She rocks!