Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller dives into the complexities of electric service and infrastructure in Latin America. He discusses the challenges of unreliable power, the inefficiencies of government-owned utilities, and the role of privatization in improving service. Johnny also shares practical advice for expats, including the use of diesel generators, solar power, and alternative energy solutions. He touches on the broader implications of energy policy, political influence, and the future of renewable energy in the region.
Johnny begins by discussing the challenges of living in Latin America, particularly focusing on the unreliable electric service and infrastructure. He highlights the confusion and complexity of electric bills, comparing them to those in the first world but noting that the real-world experience is still third world. Johnny uses a news report from Nicaragua about a town experiencing prolonged power outages due to illegal connections and theft as an example. He explains that the quality of electric and water service often correlates with road quality and that well-maintained roads are typically found near areas with political influence. Johnny also reflects on how the privatization of state industries in the 1990s led to significant changes in the region, including opportunities for political leaders to enrich themselves.
The segment then discusses the inefficiency and poor management of government-owned utilities in Latin countries, which led to frequent power outages and public dissatisfaction. It highlights the common protests by public utility employees and their bosses, who were responsible for the poor performance of these utilities. The segment transitions into practical advice for expats, recommending the purchase of small diesel generators due to their efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and durability compared to gasoline generators. It also includes advice on alternative cooking methods during power outages, such as using camping grills. The segment concludes by noting that while some improvements were made with the involvement of first-world utility companies, many areas still have outdated infrastructure.
Johnny then discusses the transformation of electric power distribution in certain Latin American countries, highlighting the contrast between state-owned and privately-owned utility companies. He describes how the privatization of electric companies led to improved service, with faster response times and better equipment. He contrasts this with the inefficiencies and corruption of state-owned companies, which often resulted in delayed or non-existent service. The segment also touches on the lack of transparency in these privatization deals, where billions of dollars were transferred behind closed doors, often benefiting politicians and insiders. Johnny explains how these deals were rarely reported until years later, when former politicians were out of office and their wealth became apparent. He also mentions the impact of global financial crises and the reliance on diesel for power generation in many countries, leading to disputes over power contracts and distribution lines. The segment ends with a reference to Venezuela, where despite being a major oil producer, the state-owned power company struggles with frequent blackouts and brownouts due to inefficiencies and bureaucracy.
The podcast segment discusses the challenges expats face with power outages in Latin America, emphasizing that even though the region has abundant resources like diesel, the inefficiency and corruption of the government hinder progress. He notes that power outages, once thought to be a thing of the past, are returning, particularly in rural and less developed areas. Expats are advised to be prepared for these outages by investing in diesel generators or alternative power solutions like DC to AC inverter boxes. Johnny also highlights the importance of maintenance and the cost-effectiveness of these alternatives, suggesting that expats should consider both options for reliable power.
Johnny Mueller discusses the use of a 1500 watt AC inverter converter box as a practical solution for expats in Latin America, despite its inefficiency in terms of gasoline usage. He explains that while the converter is not the most efficient option, it is useful in emergencies and has been used by him multiple times. He also highlights the importance of being prepared for potential power outages, which are becoming more frequent. Johnny mentions that the converter he uses is from Walmart and is part of a company called Wagon Tech. He further explains the electrical dynamics of inverters, noting that while most devices draw the wattage they are rated for, motors can draw up to three times that amount when first turned on, which can cause circuit breakers to trip. He also predicts that energy prices will rise globally in the next year or two, especially in oil and energy sectors, and suggests that expats should consider investing in solar voltaic panels as a long-term solution to the energy crisis in Latin America. He mentions that with the right setup, a solar panel system could provide 100% of one's energy needs and even power an electric car, which is becoming more accessible with major car companies planning to release electric car models in the near future.
Johnny Mueller discusses his hesitation to purchase an electric car due to its current high cost, comparing it to the early days of the Toyota Prius. He predicts that prices will drop in the next five years, making electric cars more accessible and economical. He also highlights the potential for expats to profit from the growing solar and electric car market, suggesting that a one-stop shop for pre-packaged solar units and electric cars could be a lucrative business. He mentions a German company's innovation in producing solar panels at a cost of one dollar per watt, which could make solar systems affordable for average households. Johnny also notes the benefits of lithium-ion batteries in combination with solar panels, emphasizing their efficiency and longevity.
Topics
Electric service in Latin America, Infrastructure quality, Political influence on infrastructure, Privatization of state industries, Inefficiency of government-owned utilities, Public protests and dissatisfaction with public services, Practical advice for expats on power outages and generators, Comparison of diesel and gasoline generators, Infrastructure improvements and challenges, Electric power distribution, Privatization of utilities, Corruption in government
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:01:26 Power Outages in Milagro, Nicaragua 00:02:18 How Expat Can Ensure Constant Electric Service 00:03:52 The Connection Between Road Quality and Political Influence 00:06:25 Common Protests by Public Employees 00:06:43 Norms of Government Jobs and Poor Service 00:07:23 Advantages of Diesel Generators 00:11:32 Improved Service and Response Times 00:11:40 Contrast Between State and Private Companies 00:12:13 Lack of Transparency in Privatization Deals 00:13:51 The Pattern of Politicians' Wealth 00:14:44 Energy Dependence and Diesel Reliance 00:15:55 Venezuela's State-Owned Power Challenges 00:16:13 The Inefficiency of Government and Its Impact on Power Supply 00:16:55 The Return of Power Outages and Their Impact on Expats 00:17:39 A Preview of Future Challenges and the Need for Preparedness 00:21:10 The Practicality of a Converter Box for Expats 00:22:11 Understanding the Electrical Dynamics of Inverters 00:23:29 Solar Power as a Long-Term Energy Solution 00:24:47 Hesitation to Buy Electric Cars Due to High Costs 00:24:55 Mass Production and Future Price Drops 00:25:51 Opportunities for Expats in the Solar and Electric Car Market 00:26:30 Affordability of Solar Systems at One Dollar per Watt
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:01] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came out to hi everybody I'm Johnny Miller and you're listening to the expat files Living in Latin America the one-of-a-kind show that tells you what it's like to live work play and or retire in Latin America So let's get started Just to finish up on a few things about the last show where I was talking about how it's almost impossible to read your electric company bill down here and how in fact It's as confusing as or possibly even worse than your electric bill up in the first world
[00:46] Anyway, I alluded to the fact that almost every company down here including government institutions are trying to modernize the way They do things and are doing everything possible to copy the way they do things in the first world right or wrong And that's why you get such an indecipherable bill down here Just like you do in the first world and that's where that first world comparison ends at the electric company office We get that official looking first world style bill that you can't make head nor tail of But when you step out that door and you get out into the real world where you actually get the power delivered It's still pure third world and to give you a good example what I'm talking about I'm gonna read out of yesterday's paper from an Agua Nicaragua. The news comes from a town outside Managua called Milagro
[01:33] Okay, here goes. So listen to this more than 15,000 persons in Milagro have been without electric power for more than six days and a spokesman for the electric company Claims it's because there's so many illegal connections to the power poles made by people He calls midnight power thieves and that bands of delinquents have been stealing cable and cutting down power lines in isolated rural areas and reselling the copper aluminum and steel to scrap dealers and that spokesman for the power company says they cannot guarantee The security of your connection until they iron out those and a handful of other problems and you know That's not an isolated case because every Latin American newspaper has a story just like that practically every day
[02:18] So that begs the question how you as an expat can assure that you have constant electric service to your house in your business I mean You don't want to have to worry about driving to your business one day and finding out the power's been off for eight hours And all the food in your freezer is melting and dripping on the floor now that would not be good news Especially if you owned a restaurant But whether you get constant good electrical service or brownouts or even long-term blackouts It's not just a roll of the dice if you keep your eyes open It's not hard to tell who's gonna get good electrical service and proper maintenance and who's gonna get the short end of the stick It's the same thing with the quality and type of paved roads They have down here all you have to do is look around and you'll see some roads that have so many potholes
[03:05] They look like the surface of the moon and just a half a mile away There's a beautiful paved asphalt road and even the occasional extra wide and nicely planned concrete road though I admit those are few and far between and it turns out the quality of your electric service And by the way, your municipal water service, too Seems to follow the quality of the road infrastructure In other words, if you build your house or set up a business on a dirt road Or one that has a million potholes in it That's about the kind of electric and water service you can expect to get That is substandard or even worse And you might wonder why that is and why it seems to follow that pattern Well, it's something that every expat figures out once he or she has lived down here a while
[03:52] And after you made all the usual expat know-it-all mistakes Anyway, you soon find out that near every good stretch of road There seems to be a subdivision or colony of wealthy or upper middle-class people And when you see a stretch of high-class concrete road You can be sure that road was put in because a politician, cabinet member, mayor, governor Or other high-level politician lives right on that road or very nearby And down here there's a word for that They call it quayo, which to us means pull or friends in high places In other words, all those little far-out isolated towns Where only a handful of powerful and influential people happen to live Well, those dusty little towns, they really get the short end of the stick in more ways than one
[04:42] And when you're driving through one of those off the beaten track towns If you happen to hit a nice stretch of asphalt or even concrete You can be sure it's in the wealthiest section of town Or the route that the mayor takes to work every morning So keep that in mind if you're looking to buy, rent a house, or start a business Okay, but back to the question of power outages and how to handle them I can tell you that the first time I came down here, about 20 years ago Every Latin American country I visited had at least a half a dozen power outages a week And you know, you'd be sitting on the porch of somebody's house Having a nice tropical drink and the power would go out for like three hours And it got to be that you could almost count on it Then, over the next few years, something changed drastically
[05:29] Well, the Soviet Union collapsed and governments started privatizing And selling off state industries to the highest bidder Suddenly, third world governments were selling off everything and anything they had And raking in the cash And all the Latin American presidents and dictators realized it was a golden opportunity And the window was open for a one-time shot at enriching themselves, their friends, their families And their mistresses And that that opportunity was never going to come again And even though, in almost all cases, there were a lot of public strikes and walkouts involved And even quite a bit of sabotage and destruction of public utility equipment And that's a whole other story But as you might have expected, the people that worked at these utilities were very upset
[06:17] You know the drill, people in the streets throwing rocks and burning tires Those kind of protests by public employees down here are all too common It all boils down to the fact that everybody wants to keep their nice cushy government job Even though all the government-owned utilities were models of inefficiency And in fact, absolute disasters The fact is, if you're living in a country and you've had terrible service all your life And you're in a government make-work job and you're sitting on your dead ass doing absolutely nothing And still getting that paycheck every month Whether you show up for work or not That to you is the norm and you just don't know any other way So as Latin countries began to privatize their utilities Those very same public utility employees took to the streets
[07:03] And in fact, they and their bosses were the very reason why those public utility companies Were managed so poorly And why all those power outages were a fact of life down here And everyone either had to put up with them or go out and buy a generator And I can tell you a lot of expats did that And by the way, while I'm talking about generators All you expats out there know it's better to buy a small diesel generator than a gasoline one Why? Because although a diesel job costs a little more You can get about twice as many hours of runtime on a gallon of diesel Than you can on a gallon of gasoline And down here diesel on the average is about 50 cents a gallon less than gasoline So you get a double savings there
[07:49] Not to mention the fact that diesel motors last about twice as long as gasoline motors That is before they need an overhaul or heavy maintenance And finally diesel motors are much less complicated than gasoline motors And have fewer moving parts so there's less to go wrong And as to why you always pay a third to 50 percent more for a diesel motor over gas Is that diesel motors are always built with much heavier duty parts And that's because they're operating at higher temperatures and pressures than gasoline motors do So your expat tip for the day, buy a small diesel generator And the smallest ones I've seen are about 4000 watts And for a generator that size your diesel motor might be five or six horsepower And anything between four and six thousand watts is just fine for any home or office
[08:38] And if you have a diesel one you could run that thing for days and days without a problem And you can figure it this way a 4000 watt that is a four kilowatt unit Works out to be about a 40 amp electric circuit And I'll tell you right now you can run just about everything in your house on that Except maybe an air conditioner an electric dryer or an electric stove And believe me if you have a power outage lasting more than a few hours Drying your clothes and turning on your air conditioning are going to be the least of your problems And as we're cooking your food when there's a power outage You should always have a small camping grill around the house Like a Coleman or one of those tiny Weber charcoal grills Or even a single element hot plate And do I really recommend that you get a generator like that? Well 20 years ago I would have said yes
[09:26] And then a few years later I would have said no And that's because when all those governments sold off their electric utility companies And the ones that didn't at least partnered up with a first world company And when they did partner up usually 50 50 The first thing the new partner did when they came in Was to overhaul the infrastructure at least in the big cities Well that changed everything down here at least for a while And suddenly those power outages that we were all so used to Little by little became less and less frequent And in some cases pretty much disappeared altogether Except of course during that odd natural disaster like a hurricane A flood or a windstorm But who can plan for that? So anyway with all those first world electric power distribution companies
[10:14] Coming down and buying into these dinosaur operations With plans to rewire everything and modernize just like the first world And they proved that they could do it Because some of the big cities down here have large sections That are completely up to first world standards But unfortunately parts of every big city And at least half of the rest of the smaller towns Appeared to have been wired by a one armed drunk And I'm not kidding In fact I'm amazed to see that some of these circuits even work at all And for these new first world utility partners It was logical for them to start rewiring in the big cities That's where they had all their hundreds of thousands of customers Who they already had on their books Who they could little by little slip higher rates to So they could afford to tear out that rotting infrastructure and start from scratch
[11:03] And that's practically what they had to do Well anyway the plan actually began to work And you could see the proof of that when new subdivisions went up Suddenly new home buyers and business owners Had all the electric power they needed and more And the guys from the electric company that arrived on the scene to do the work They were actually dressed in clean uniforms With nice trucks and first world equipment all the way And if you had a problem with your electrical service Or a tree fell and knocked your power line down They'd actually show up within a few hours After you called that emergency number printed on your bill And that in itself was a miracle Because when the state owned the electric company Sometimes the repair guys didn't come for a week And nine times out of ten if you called that emergency number on the bill
[11:49] It either wouldn't connect at all or you'd get a busy signal Now you might be wondering why these governments Even bothered to sell off the state owned company Especially when all those public workers were marching in the streets Now that's a lot of votes Well the answer is always about the money right? But how do these big wigs in government pull off those billion dollar sales When the public knows they're just going to steal most of the money Well it's because down here almost all that stuff occurs behind closed doors There's no transparency And I watched it happen firsthand in three different Latin countries First world electric power distribution companies came in And they bid on all or part of a country's electric service and distribution systems And though those deals were reported in the local papers
[12:35] And huge numbers were thrown around In fact most of these public utility franchises Were bought out for hundreds of millions even billions of dollars And of course that money is supposed to go in the public coffers right? But there was virtually no transparency In other words nobody but those political insiders Knew anything about the real details of the deal And in the end millions of dollars in cash changed hands under the table Greasing the deal along and suitcases of cash made the rounds And got deposited into foreign bank accounts And in most cases every politician remotely connected to the deal got rich And if he didn't exactly get rich He got a car a house or a condo out of it And the funny thing is in the papers and in the media
[13:23] It almost never got reported until some years later When these guys were out of office And reporters began picking up on the fact that these ex-politicians That were making 10 or 15 thousand dollars a year That is poverty wages in the first world Well once these guys get out of office their whole lifestyle changes Suddenly they're living in million dollar beach houses Driving Range Rovers and sending their kids to private schools in the United States And you know that's how it's always been down here There's no transparency and that's what happens And that's why down here nearly all the rags to riches stories involve politicians Big surprise huh? So anyway back to our discussion about the electric utility companies down here So about 10 years ago just when these first world electric distribution people came down
[14:13] And bought in when it was beginning to look like the blackouts and the brownouts Just might be a thing of the past And whole sections of cities were being rewired to first world standards Even those rats nests of overhead wires were getting dismantled and routed underground Well things were moving right along Until the big banking and financial crisis hit hard up in the first world And along with that came the bursting of the housing bubble And oil went over a hundred dollars a barrel Now the problem is a lot of countries down here don't have enough power plants themselves So they've worked out deals to buy power from their neighbors And though you might think there's a lot of hydro power down here Only a few countries have it in a big way and are actually self-sufficient
[14:59] The rest of them believe it or not use a lot of diesel for power generation So between latin countries there's all sorts of deals and all kinds of contracts Regarding straight electric power the sale of diesel And the right to use power distribution lines And those deals a lot of times end up in dispute And that almost always happens after an election when there's a change of government Especially when there's a radical change in government Like what recently happened in Honduras a few years ago in Nicaragua, Bolivia and Ecuador Just to name a few And we should mention Venezuela here too Because as one of the top five oil producers in the world And of course it's all government owned You'd think that they'd have plenty of energy for themselves In fact with gasoline at less than 10 cents a gallon down there
[15:46] They shouldn't have any power problems whatsoever, right? Well you'd be wrong Because they're having rolling blackouts and brownouts daily as we speak But in their case it's because the power company is state owned And all the oil reserves are state owned Which makes for a massive bureaucracy That's not only corrupt and inefficient But it moves like a snail So even if they have plenty of raw material Like diesel coming out of their ears They're still steeped in that tradition of what government does best Which is basically nothing So anyway as for pretty much all of Latin America Those power outages and rolling blackouts That used to be a thing of the past Well they're starting up again The fact is expats have noticed that in the last year
[16:33] The bad old days seem to be coming back Not so much in the newer built up areas Or in those privileged areas where the political bigwigs live And they have those nice asphalt and concrete roads It's funny how the power almost never goes out in those sections of town But mostly the power outages are hitting hard and heavy In the sticks and in the boonies Like that news article I mentioned in the beginning of the show So facing that good news What do I recommend for expats down here? Well like I said besides locating your business or house In a newer upscale subdivision or residential tower Preferably in an area with nice asphalt or even concrete roads And by the way don't think that things like this I mean rolling blackouts and brownouts
[17:20] Can't happen to you up in the first world Because believe me they can and will And if you listen to any of the other programs on PRN You'll know that a lot of experts are predicting that we're in for a rough ride So what's happening down here in the third world right now I believe is just a little preview of what's going to happen up north in a few years So up there or down here you better be prepared But as for living down here you're going to need that diesel generator And even a small four kilowatt job might set you back a thousand bucks And as for buying a used one yes they're out there They're in the classified section of the papers all the time In Spanish of course But for generators it's all about the hours they've been used So if you're looking at a used one have it checked out by a diesel mechanic
[18:05] Unless to you it's obviously very clean Lightly used and in good order Because like I've said a hundred times They don't believe in the word maintenance down here So if something looks well worn on the outside You can bet it's well worn on the inside So just a word of advice But here's another little tip I have for peace of mind when it comes to electrical power These days you can go to any Walmart or Ace Hardware Or go on the internet and you can find a 12 volt DC to 120 volt AC converter unit And it's called a DC to AC inverter box Now all you RV and Winnebago owners up in the first world know what I'm talking about You hook it up to the car battery or you Winnebago battery And the box itself has a couple of regular 120 volt AC wall outlets on it
[18:55] Just like in your house So once you hook this thing up to your car battery And it's easy It just bolts or clips right on to the two terminal posts And then after you do that you got 120 volts all day long And you can plug in your TV or computer your refrigerator Whatever depending on the capacity of the converter that you buy And the trick is while the power is off and you're using this unit Is to leave your car running in the garage or the car park And while your car is idling away It's always charging the battery and the battery is providing you with 120 volts AC For any electrical appliance you might want to plug in from your house Now as for me I bought a 1500 watt converter box From a Walmart down here and it cost me a hundred bucks
[19:42] Now for those of you who know about amperage and voltage That 1500 watt unit gives me pretty much the equivalent of a 15 amp household circuit In other words with my converter box I can plug in a refrigerator Which consumes about 300 watts And I can plug in a plasma TV which consumes about 300 watts A computer and some lights Until I get close to that 1500 watt limit And these converter boxes which are no bigger than a small shoe box They spell out on the back a list of appliances that you're able to plug into your unit That is before you reach its limit and pop the circuit breaker So what this little converter box really is Is a light duty replacement for that diesel generator I was talking about That you always had an idea to buy it
[20:29] But you never did because it cost a thousand dollars Whereas this little converter box is only a hundred dollars You have to admit a hundred dollars for a converter box like that Is mighty cheap insurance for a blackout And in this case it's your car that's providing the power Not a diesel motor And even though you have your car idling While that little converter box is working Your car is still using gasoline And using the motor on your car to run a few electrical circuits in your house Is not really efficient at all In terms of gasoline usage that is And that's the downside of using one of these converters And not buying a generator But it really works in a pinch And that's why I have one And in the past year I've used it four times myself Three times when the power was out for three or four hours
[21:16] And one time when the power was out for two full days So expats for starters And to be minimally prepared You should get one of those little converter boxes Because the outage just seems to be getting worse And you never know Now before you all send me emails Asking me exactly what little unit I'm using The one I got from Walmart Is from a company called Wagon Tech W-A-G-A-N-T-E-C-H And it's a 1500 watt AC inverter That's what it's called And it's actually good for double that Or 3000 watts For very short periods of time Like when you switch on a motor For example, a refrigerator motor For example, if a refrigerator is switched on And it's rated at 300 watts In that instant that you first switch it on
[22:01] Or when you hear that motor kick in For that split second That motor draws about three times as many watts Or in the case of my 300 watt refrigerator 900 watts, right? And for the rest of the time it's on It's only drawing 300 watts Just like it's rated But that's a special case That only happens when motors are switched on If you turn on a light bulb Or a computer Or a television Or a DVD player It's only going to draw the wattage stamped On the side of the unit and no more So that's good to know When you switch on anything that has a motor It's going to draw a triple the amount of current For that split second And that's why sometimes when motors kick in Circuit breakers blow So as far as electrical energy goes In the future down here in Latin America
[22:47] Just like in the first world Prices are never going to go down And now that the first world has dragged The third world into their housing Banking and monetary crisis I personally believe the predictions That in the next year or two Prices are going to double worldwide And you could see those prices creeping up already Especially in oil The energy sector and commodities And since down here Everything is much cheaper in general Compared to the first world Except oil and energy It's not a good bet for an expat Just to sit back and watch those electric bills escalate Without doing anything about it Every first world engineer I know Believes that the ultimate answer To the energy crisis down here Is the massive use of solar voltaic panels
[23:32] Because if there's one thing Latin America has And it has in excess Is sun And I know right now That if I spent between 10 and 20 thousand dollars No more I could put together a solar panel system On the roof of my house That could not only supply me With 100% of my energy needs for that house It could also provide all the necessary energy For all my transportation needs too But that would mean I'd have to buy an electric car And right now there are at least four major car companies That are producing them Nissan, Chevy, Peugeot Will all have their own versions Of a true electric car available next year And if you correctly size the solar panels On the roof of your house You could charge that electric car
[24:18] And be completely off the grid And never buy gasoline again Now as for the solar panel system The battery backup And the necessary converter Well those things are getting cheaper and smaller by the month In fact the solar panel system I'm talking about That you could get for 10,000 dollars or so today You couldn't have bought 10 years ago for 50,000 dollars And within 5 years That system is going to be smaller, better and cheaper yet And as for me The only reason I haven't bought into that system yet And I don't have a solar panel set up Is that I'm waiting for the price to come down On those electric cars Because this will pretty much be the first model year Where big companies have mass produced these things And right now they're too expensive
[25:03] And priced at around 35,000 to 50,000 dollars Which means it's really not economical to get one yet Just like the Toyota Prius was when it first came out It was way too expensive for what it really did And only tree huggers and celebrities went out and bought the first round And now you can get one for a little over 20,000 dollars Which puts it pretty much in everybody's ballpark And that's just what's going to happen to these electric cars in the next 5 years And when they do drop down to around 20,000 dollars I'll get one and put that solar system in And after that I'll laugh every time I pass by a gas station And every time I plug my car into my own personal electric outlet But as for now we're all playing a waiting game on that And you know there's another thing Down here that's going to be a great business for expats to get into
[25:51] Imagine a one-stop shop for pre-packaged solar units With the capacity to run the whole house And with an electric car in the package Someone's going to have to stock that stuff, assemble it, and get it working And that someone's probably going to be an expat And when the price is right who wouldn't want to buy into that I mean really who doesn't want to get over on the oil and the utility companies They've had their claws into us for a hundred years and now it's our turn And speaking of those solar units now Finally a company out of Germany has patented a way To produce solar panels on an assembly line for a dollar a watt Now that's the magic number At a dollar a watt a solar system for the average first world person is easy to afford In fact a family of four that's into conservation only needs four thousand watts
[26:40] That's four kilowatts of solar panel to get completely off the grid And at a dollar a watt that means that panel will only cost four thousand dollars And you could thank those Toyota people for developing that Prius lithium battery Because those are terrific when used in combination with solar panels And they're much much more efficient and smaller and lighter Than your standard old lead acid battery And the new generation of lithium ion batteries have a life of about 10 to 20 years So all that's right around the corner So for all you expats and expat wannabes that's good news I mean imagine living in paradise not having an electric bill And never having to go to the gas station Unless of course you have to use the restroom
[27:26] I take that back forget the restroom You're better off holding it till you get home You've been listening to The Expat Files living in Latin America And don't forget you can email me on anything at all about Latin America The Expat Files at gmail.com That's theexpatfiles at gmail.com See you next time, nos vemos!