The “Deepam” social center was founded in 2002 by Ms. Häring, a German nurse and teacher of nursing professions. It offers refuge for children and women who would otherwise be denied any access to education, medical care and family support. These are victims of domestic violence and rape, girls who were rescued from child prostitution and children and widows who were rejected by their families. In 2014, “Electricians Without Borders” installed a PV system with battery storage and the associated DC-AC converter and charge controller in the “Deepam” social center in Viralimalai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The PV system built by “Electricians Without Borders” in collaboration with the Indian company “SELCO Solar” saved up to USO 3.000 a year in electricity costs and benefited the children’s education. Ms. Häring informed us at regular intervals that our PV system generates energy without any problems and that the girls' training is possible without interruption, even in the evenings and during the countless power cuts. That was the case until the 16th. November last year. On that day, tropical cyclone “Gaja” came from the Indian Ocean and passed over Viralimalai with tremendous wind speeds. Over 80.000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas in advance. “Gaja” left a wide path of destruction. Approx. 177.000 houses were simply torn away and 33 people died as a result of the storm and the flooding caused by the heavy rain that followed. The “Deepam” social center was badly affected. Our PV system was completely destroyed and swept off the roof. Some of the solar panels flew up to 400 m through the air. Almost all the windows in the two houses were smashed and shattered. As a result, the houses were exposed to “visits” from countless monkeys for days. The company “SELCO Solar”, which planned and installed the PV system together with “Electricians Without Borders” in 2014, made makeshift repairs to the connection to the local energy supplier. the “Tamil Nadu Electricity Board”. At the moment, the girls' education is very limited in terms of time and is possible at significantly higher energy costs than before the cyclone. In a second project, “Deepam 2”, the energy supply in the “Old House” is to be restored and expanded to cover the increased demand. A second PV system with 30 solar panels will be installed on the roof of the “New House” and connected to a battery storage system consisting of 20 300 Ah batteries. The Indian “company SELCO Solar” has an offer based on a very detailed needs assessment. The offer is divided into 3 subsystems. The total costs are approx. 1. 755.000 Indian Rupees, which is equivalent to approx.
