After a year’s worth of planning, the InnovaSun team of Mark Moeremans and Ben Powell finally arrived in Ghana.

Following a slight pit-stop in Dubai, the team landed on Sunday afternoon and got settled in at “Pink Hostel” in the Asylum Downs neighborhood of Accra.

As they say, there is no rest for the wicked, and these two set out right away, starting to gather some essentials like water and phone minutes, while making contact with previously identified solar companies.

With an organized game plan, the team set out on Day 2 to start visiting different solar companies and comparing systems and prices to determine which combination would be the best fit for the rural communities of Northern Ghana.

Despite having identified three solar companies as potential partners, the team had found their match after visiting the second company – Atlas Business & Energy. Sakeena, their contact at Atlas, was extremely helpful, both before leaving the US and upon their arrival in Ghana. She proved to be interested in the work and incredibly knowledgeable about solar power. She gave great tips on implementing, and even followed up with some diagrams to guide in the construction.

After purchasing all the big ticket items including panels, batteries, and inverter, Sakeena sent an employee named Isaac with the team to Accra Square, one of the capital’s largest markets, to find all the remaining supplies like wiring, cables, and power sockets.

Materials in hand, the team ended the day at the Accra bus station, where they purchased their tickets for Tamale. Tomorrow will be a 12+ hour travel day, bringing our leaders one step closer to the communities they will be supporting.

Check back soon to hear more as Ben and Mark begin to test their equipment!