Location: San Antonio De Upa, Nicaragua
Cost: $3,000
Date Started: May 27, 2014
Date Completed: May 29, 2014
Major Donors: Strata Solar
Summary
Over the period of three days, two of USI’s volunteers, Steven Thomsen and Charlie Egan, visited Matagalpa, Nicaragua to participate in two projects that are located deep in mountainous terrain miles outside the city. The projects consisted of installing solar panels on the schools Mina Verde 2 and San Antonio de Upa to enable electricity usage through light bulbs for night time education. Suni Solar, a Nicaraguan solar company, teamed up with USI to create a partnership that would provide off-grid solar technology for these schools. “The community in Nicaragua is very much controlled by the sun,” Co-founder and Vice President Steven Thomsen emphasized when being asked about the project that he took part in.
Before these projects, the schools had no electricity in their area and instead used detrimental fuels, such as kerosene to fuel their lanterns, which came to be expensive and ineffective. Now, with 300 watts of energy, this installation gives a place for students to study at night; adults to have night classes; and a gathering place for community events.
As a non-profit organization whose ambition is to create a more efficient way to accommodate energy in developing countries, USI cannot take all the credit for these past projects. USI acted as a project supervisor to Suni Solar to ensure seamless installations from beginning to end. USI’s mission is to help grow the global solar industry by partnering with solar companies that need that additional support.
These projects have not only provided communities with sustainable sources of energy but have also established the groundwork for USI to have impactful relationships with the communities of Mina Verde 2 and San Antonio de Upa.
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.
