Preparation for Mongolia

Preparation for Mongolia

The journey of Özcan Yüksek, editor-in-chief of Atlas magazine, to a region in Mongolia—home to people who can be considered ancestors of the Turks and who still lead the same life—created great excitement. This curiosity and excitement further increased as Özcan Yüksek spoke at length about the life there, where we came from, and the roots of our language.

🔋 Preparation for Mongolia: Solar Energy Solution for Lack of Electricity

The trip was planned for a region where there was no electricity and the nearest settlement was a 7-hour horse ride away. Therefore, all preparations had to be made according to these challenging conditions.

Digital Necessity: The Problem of Finding Film

Although old film cameras were prepared for this journey, finding film in Turkey had become very difficult. This necessitated the use of digital cameras for the trip. However, this meant a constant need for energy to charge the batteries and transfer the photos to a computer.

Portable Power Solution

The idea of preparing a portable solar-powered system for Özcan Yüksek was presented. With this system, it would be possible to meet the energy needs of all kinds of devices in the region. The project was immediately put into action:

  • Constraint: The system to be installed had to be small and lightweight. Since large panels were not available in Turkey, small panels had to be sourced from abroad.
  • Solar Panels: Two 20-watt monocrystalline panels were purchased. These panels were chosen because they were small enough to fit inside the suitcase that would be used.
  • System Components:
    1. The solar energy coming from the panels was managed by a 10-amp charge controller.
    2. The energy was sent to batteries totaling 20 amps of power.
    3. The 12-volt energy coming from the batteries was finally connected to an inverter that converted it to 220 volts.

All these components were placed inside a suitcase for easy portability. The system was prepared 10 days before Özcan Bey’s departure and successfully tested by charging a computer at the company. Now, it was time to set off.