Saving Rhinos with Solar Energy

After having raised over US$ 26,000 for the construction and maintenance of our solar borehole at Nyumba Nne, it's now time to close this project. The borehole is functioning very well and we are managing to cover the operating costs ourselves, thanks to all the saving in diesel achieved.

For the past two years, this borehole that YOU helped build has saved Ol Pejeta over US$ 15,000 and over 9,000 liters of diesel, which is really what makes us the happiest.

We could not have done it without you. Once again, thank you. We can never say this enough! 

If you are still keen to support a worthy project on Ol Pejeta, we have recently launched a campaign to equip and train our armed rangers. These brave men put their lives on the line every day to keep our rhinos safe and we believe they deserve the very best.

Please visit https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/armed-rangers-of-ol-pejeta/ to find out more. 

Thank you again! 

It has been almost a year now since we built the Nyumba Nne borehole thanks to your generous support. We are delighted to report that the borehole is working well and exceeding our expectations in terms of savings and performance.

If you remember, the reason why we were building this borehole was to stop using diesel-powered water pumps - which are costly, noise and really bad the environment. We knew it would produce savings and also lessen pollution. The more money we save on things like buying fuel, the more money we are able to spend on rhino protection.

As of today, we have 123 black rhinos on Ol Pejeta and still the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa. We are also really proud to say that we had ZERO rhino poached on Ol Pejeta last year. This shows that the funds spent on our security are paying off and we have you to thank for this.

In 2018, we had total savings of US$ 3,925. In 2019, we have already saved US$ 5,233. This is a total saving of US$ 9,158 for the past two years. We pumped 18,841M3 of water in 2018 and 40,976M3 in 2019 so far. The water is serving the entire conservancy including staff camps and waterholes for the wildlife. We are currently suffering lack of rains in Kenya, and this water is really coming in handy for our thirsty elephants, rhinos, buffaloes and more! 

But to us, the most exciting news out of all this is that with conversion of Nyumba Nne and making Nyumba Tano redundant, we have saved 6,500 litres of diesel for the last 6 months (3,500 at Nyumba Nne and 3,000 at Nyumba Tano) which translates to 18 tonnes of CO₂ which means that we not just saving rhinos, but we are also doing our part to save the planet! 

If you are a numbers' person and are interested in more details, we have attached a table of all the savings for the last two years. Please take a look.

Once again, thank you! We can never say this enough.

You might be aware that the UN released a landmark report this week announcing that up to 1 million species are facing extinction. Amid pollution and human consumption, the health of ecosystems on which all life depends is deteriorating at a chilling rate. It is time we all roll up our sleeves. It has become vital that we don't allow more plants and animals to go extinct.

We all have a role to play and we are doing our part with your help. Project like this one are extremely important for the future of our planet and for that of our children and grandchildren. We are proud that you stand with us in this fight. 

We have continued to raise more money for this project, thanks to our recurring donor who opted to give monthly to Ol Pejeta. As of today, our total raised is US$ 25,112 which is an amazing accomplishment. 

Ol Pejeta is still very much on track to become 100% solar powered by 2013. We are not going to deviate from this very important task and we want you to know that you made a huge difference in helping us reach that goal.

If you have never been to Ol Pejeta, we hope that you decide to visit us one day and see for yourself the impact of your generosity. If you are interested in organising a visit, please email me on elodie.sampere@olpejetaconservancy.org and I will help you plan the trip of a lifetime!

In the meantime, I just want to make sure that you have watched our VIDEO UPDATE which we think is the best way to show you what you helped us accomplish.

Thank you again for being an awesome human being. 

Links:

• Our Completed Solar Borehole at Nyumba Nne

In June, we asked you support to us in our commitment to becoming 100% solar powered by 2023 – putting the money saved from fuel straight into rhino conservation and community development.

We were thrilled to raise $24,685 in a matter of weeks – and we have some news for you.

Thanks to your generous donation, 127 new solar panels have been put in place and the solar borehole at Nyumba Nne is complete!

Watch this video to see the impact of your donation to Ol Pejeta.

This incredible success wouldn’t have been possible without you, and we can’t wait to let you know how the project continues to develop.

What inspired you to give to this campaign, and how did you find out about us? Please let us know in an email to elodie.sampere@olpejetaconservancy.org - we’d love to hear from you!

Thank you again for your support and participation in this campaign.

We are happy to announce that our second solar-powered water pump has been switched on at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. We are one step closer to our goal of using only renewable energy by 2023. 

Thanks to the many donors who participated in the GlobalGiving Campaign back in June 2019, water is flowing at the Nyumba Nne borehole. It's one of the most important water sites on the Conservancy and with this new technology we will have savings of US$ 7,000 in the next 12 months. This money will be spent on keeping our rhinos safe. So not only have you helped us to keep the planet clean, but you have also made a difference in our rhinos' welfare! 

Since the campaign ended, our team on the ground has been working around the clock and below are the progresses made:

1. The borehole flushing and water well developemnt are complete.
2. The electric fencing around the borehole, to protect the installation from destruction from wildlife, is complete.
3. An undeground water tank has been built. It is 7.2 meters in diameter and 2 meters high! 
4. All solar panels, submersible pump and accessories have been installed at the site.

All that remains to be done now is installation of the booster pumps to push the water where it needs to go. But we have already started and it should be done by mid-September. 

We want to thank you again for your generous donation and your participation in this campaign. You made a tremendous difference to this project and we are so thrilled that we can now show you the great progress made and the completion of our solar-powered borehole. 

We still have 8 boreholes that need to be switched from diesel to solar and welcome any additional donations to this project. 

From all of us at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, thank you!