The first stage of the solar energy maintenance project in the Huni Kuin villages of the Jordão river was carried out in order to restore and improve the system installed in 2016, especially to address the issue of the significant loss of energy efficiency due to the large distance covered by the wires. The aim was to expand the lighting system to include new structures and enable the villagers to have individual control of the lights in order to conserve energy.

The project was to illuminate the villages as well as provide a station for charging electronic equipment. The villages chosen for this stage of maintenance were São Joaquim, Astro Luminoso and Novo Natal. Also during this trip, small maintenances were made in the villages Boa Vista and Bari, as well as brief visits to the villages Boa Esperança and Chico Curumim.

The maintenance work included the installation of new batteries, charge controllers and inverters. We fixed cables, individual switches and lamps in the villagers’ houses, any existing ponto de culturas, the kupixawas and work areas. The project included training designated Huni Kuin technicians in each village as well as giving classes to the villagers in order to understand the solar energy system in order to maintain its functionality.

FUTURE MAINTENANCE AND INSTALLATIONS

The village Lago Lindo, on the Tarauacá river, and the villages Novo Segredo, Três Fazendas, Coração da Floresta, Novo Natal, Bari, Boa Vista, Astro Luminoso and São Joaquim, on the Jordão river, are the recommended locations for the next stage of the maintenance project. In all, there would be nine villages. If you would like to assist our upcoming project and bring light to the Huni Kuin in the above villages in Jordão, you can make a donation to APOTI.