Location: Verapaz, Nicaragua
Cost: $2,100
Date Started: August 9, 2015
Date Completed: August 11, 2015
Major Donors: Strata Solar
Partners: Sonati, Suni Solar
Summary
If you’re looking for Verapaz, go North out of San Ramon on Highway 5, then after El Tuma cross the Tuma River and turn up the dirt road heading into the mountains. Follow that road until it ends and you will arrive at Verapaz. Do not attempt without four wheel drive. Verapaz is one of the most remote communities in the region and as a result has no electricity, and no plans to be connected to the Nicaraguan Grid for at least the next 10 years.
To remedy this, USI partnered with Sister Communities of San Ramon and together developed a plan to bring lights and electricity to the community of Verapaz.
Before these projects on dark days during class, or at night when the adults were done working and wanted to learn, the school used kerosene lanterns to light the enclosed classrooms. Every week community members sent their cell phones to town with whoever was going, to pay for charging in town. This was a drain on an already limited income and a limitation on their only source of connection to the outside world.
USI worked together with Sister Communities of San Ramon to plan and Suni Solar to construct a 200-watt system on the roof of the school Verapaz that will give them interior and exterior lights and cell phone charging even on dark cloudy days.
We are very happy to say that Verapaz now has a sustainable source of energy to use for the education of their community and to power their phones and connect them to the world beyond Verapaz.
About our Partners
Sister Communities of San Ramon
SCSRN, a collaboration between San Ramón, Nicaragua and its partner communities in the United States, provides educational opportunities and people-to-people connections through:
- Developing education projects which address community-identified needs in San Ramón.
- Promoting Eco-tourism, hands-on cultural immersion travel, community service and experiential learning.
Suni Solar
Suni Solar is a solar company based in Managua, Nicaragua dedicated to the design and installation of renewable energy systems. Since being founded in August 1999, Suni Solar has developed vast experience in photovoltaic solar energy in its various applications to meet the basic needs of the market with high-quality products and personalized service.
