maintenance
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compost is running with the aid of an external battery since yesterday.
This is the second time that the energy provided by the panel was so little that we needed some help to keep things running. Berlin's Octobers are so grey that it's just not enough.
Taking the battery upstairs still makes it a very heedful act. There is actual, physical stuff involved in keeping things running, and labor and attention. The battery pack weighs a couple hundred grams and there are fourty steps to go upstairs to the attic. And even though everything is lying in place almost unmoved you can clearly see physical wear and tear: The once navy-colored fabric of the solar panel is fading more and more from the sun exposure, first into a bright and pale lilac shade and now into grey, and the rubber band is starting to tear from being wedged into the window frame, the inner rubber strings clearly visible.
The forecast for the next couple of days predicts two to three hours of sunlight each day, let's see how much of that we can catch.