Sunseed Water and Electricity by Brian

Sunseed is a small collective, having access to 4 houses within a small off grid village of about 30 houses in Andalusia, South Spain. The wider village is not a cohesive community as such,  though they meet monthly to discuss things affecting the village

Sunseed Water

Along with living off-grid in a semi-arid climate come some water issues. They don’t have manmade lakes as in Tamera so their water supply is dependant on what they collect from the rain, what they get from the local stream, drinking water from a spring that’s a short drive away,  and when necessary what they buy in.

There’s bad news at the moment, as there are plans underway for a new massive olive plantation, upstream of Sunseed. With many similar plantations already in the area sucking up their vital water supply, if this goes ahead it could dry up the area beyond habitability.

The village that Sunseed is in and others are mobilising a defence against the move. We wish them every success and that the precious water may be used to regenerate the land in the region rather than line someone’s pockets.

www.sunseed.org.uk/blogs/2016/05/05/ecocide-update-news-eu/

Shortages

We arrived on Wednesday and at the beginning of a water shortage which lasted most of our stay. Low flow and clogging in the Asequia (the stream that runs through the village, providing all the houses with water)  meant a restriction on showers and water use in the main building. We could still bathe in the Poza or sponge bathe elsewhere, but the idea didn’t appeal to us, and many others.

In addition to the water shortage there was an electricity shortage a few days later, which lasted for 4/5 days. Clouds blocked the solar panels, and brought rain. Just as Ireland is unable to hack a strong bout of snow, so Sunseed is unprepared for rain. Dust becomes mud which is brought into buildings and floors get slippy and manky. That first morning of both water and electricity shortages had me in a foul foul mood.

The first few days of this were uncomfortable but then, I just got used to it. Funny how attached I found myself to having immediate access to running hot water, and then ultimately how unimportant it became after a few days of discomfort. Although I have to say I did relish the warm shower I had 7 days later when the water was fixed, and am grateful we don’t have to live in such conditions all the time.

Sunseed Electricity

Their electricity is from PV solar panels, which charge batteries from which all of their power needs are met. It’s mostly fine, as there is not a very large drain on electricity, except for the rare cloudy days. Food is cooked with gas & solar cooker, electricity being used only for office, personal  devices, workshop tools and lighting.

Solar Box

A German called Jan spent 6 weeks building a portable solar box. It can be used to charge devices on the go and has a 12v plug socket too.  The plan is to bring it to festivals and other events where they demonstrate what Sunseed is all about.

Wind Turbine

Another project I took part in was the restoration of a home made wind turbine. Exciting! It was only 350W, but understanding it wasn’t a breeze! I was just a blow-in doing only one shift on this project, cleaning the guts of the thing. The woman I was working with had 3 years of experience with small wind turbines in Africa, and currently lives in an ecovillage a few hours West. She was drafted as a special gust in Sunseed for a few days to restore the turbine- and she prevailed!

Brian