This project allows us to provide renewable electricity to our computer lab, medical clinic, cafeteria, and classrooms that serve over 500 K-8 students in San Mateo, on Ambergris Island in Belize, Central America.
Power in the community where our school is located is mostly provided by diesel generators or expensive imported electricity. The cost is very high and the supply unreliable, as well as being hard on the environment. This has made it very difficult to operate a computer lab and medical clinic that were built by volunteers and donated to the 500 K-8 students at the school in San Mateo, Ambergris Caye, Belize. Cheaper power will also allow us to supplement the vital feeding program.
This project is installing sets of 24-panel (5kW) solar-arrays that will provide a reliable, renewable, and cost effective source of electricity to the computer lab, clinic, cafeteria, and classrooms. Two sets have been installed and are functioning, providing us with total capacity of 10kW. This puts us halfway towards our goal of a total solar capacity of 20kW, which of course will require additional funding. With the additional funding we also want to implement energy *conservation* measures.
On a long-term basis the reduction of fossil fuel based power usage by the school will have a positive effect on the environment while also improving the linked medical/nutritional and educational outcomes of our highly at-risk student population because cost savings are being used to supplement our vital feeding/nutrition and educational programs, including the computer learning lab.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
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