Los Calpules, Matagalpa, November 2013
In November 2013, Power to the People partnered with GRID Alternatives to offer volunteers the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua to install four off-grid solar electric systems in the community of Los Calpules. The photovoltaic systems were installed on the community’s elementary school and health clinic, providing both buildings with reliable electric power 24 hours a day.
Santa Ana, Granada, July/August 2013
In August 2013, Power to the People volunteers installed solar panels on an elementary school and cafeteria in the town of Santa Ana, Nicaragua. Santa Ana is a small community with has approximately 50 families, located about five kilometers from the Panamerican Highway. The community is located inside a private, protected reserve called “Reserva Silvestre Privada Domitila” – the first private protected area in Nicaragua established in 2001 and comprises 300 hectares on land owned by Don Roberto Mejia. Santa Ana does not have access to conventional grid electricity because of its remote location.
Potrero Platanal, Boaco, March 2013
In March 2013, Power to the People volunteers brought lights and AC power to the school by installing a 1.38 kW battery-based photovoltaic system on the roof of the school building. The system now provides LED light and electrical outlets so teachers can use more advanced teaching aids like educational videos and laptops. Access to electricity in this community will also allow adults to attend night classes and hold community events and meetings in a safe well-lit building. Check out our case study for an update on our work and impacts in Potrero Platanal.
La Uva, Boaco, October 2012
From October 20-28, 2012, Power to the People volunteers installed an off-grid PV system on an elementary school in the town of La Uva. La Uva is a rural town located in the middle of an old volcanic crater in the Boaco region of Nicaragua. The town has no grid electricity and has limited access to basic services from other larger towns due to its remote location and a large river that can be impassable in the rainy season. The 920W photovoltaic system was installed on the roof of the school and has brought lights and AC power to the building. Volunteers also installed a battery charging station so community members can charge a car or deep-cycle battery at the school and use it at home for lights and power.
El Delirio, Matagalpa, August 2012
From August 4-12, 2012, Power to the People volunteers installed a battery-based photovoltaic system on a rural school in the community of El Delirio. The solar system helped pave the way for enhanced teaching methods, a safer and more comfortable learning environment for students and income generation opportunities in this community through a battery charging station. US and Nicaraguan volunteers installed an 880W battery-based PV system along with the full AC system in the school and a 225W battery charging station which helps people have lights and home.
Terron Colorado, Granada, March 2012
In March 2012, Power to the People volunteers installed a 900W photovoltaic system on an elementary school in rural Nicaragua in the town of Terron Colorado. The town is located on beautiful Zapatera Island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua and the solar electric system will help the community see at night, improve education in the community and contribute to overall improvements to the quality of life for local residents.
El Caribe, Boaco, December 2011
In December 2011, Power to the People volunteers helped install a 900W photovoltaic system on an elementary school in rural Boaco, Nicaragua. The PV system has brought lights and AC power to the school as well as a PV battery charging station, allowing the community of El Caribe to charge 12V batteries at the school and take them home to have lights and power in their houses.
Santa Maria, Granada, July 2011
In July 2011, Power to the People volunteers successfully installed a photovoltaic system on an elementary school and cafeteria built by Children's Wellness Fund (CWF), on the island of Zapatera in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. Unlike it's well known step-sister Ometepe Island, Isla Zapatera has no ferries, virtually no tourism, and none of the basic resources the surrounding cities have like access electricity, doctors, and secondary education. Power to the People volunteers worked together with the local community and CWF to install a PV system that will brought lights and AC power to the school as well as a PV battery charging station, allowing the community of Santa Maria to charge car or deep-cycle batteries at the school and take them home to have lights and power in their houses.
Agua Fria, Matagalpa, February/March 2011
In March 2011, Power to the People volunteers installed a 900W photovoltaic system and a 225W battery charging station on a school in Agua Fria, Matagalpa, Nicaragua through our partnership with Seeds of Learning and SunPower Foundation. The PV system brings lights and AC power to the school and includes a battery charging station that allows the community to charge car batteries at the school and take them home to have lights and power in their houses.
Las Lajas, Boaco, November 2010
In November 2010 Power to the People volunteers installed a 1.32kW photovoltaic system and a 225W PV battery charging station on a 4-classroom elementary school in central Nicaragua to bring light, electricity, and refrigeration to these community buildings. In the same community, volunteers installed a 340W PV system on a rural health care center, bringing lights and power to this rural health clinic along with some basic medical supplies.
Las Cuchillas, Rivas, April 2010
In April 2010, Power to the People volunteers installed a 680W photovoltaic system on a rural two-room school and a 225W battery charging station on a small library on the side of a volcano on the island of Ometepe, located in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. Surrounded by beautiful island culture and ambiance, Las Cuchillas was the last community on the island without electricity due to its remote location on Volcan Maderas.
El Pedregal, Boaco, March 2009
In March 2009, Power to the People volunteers installed a 1kW DC solar electric system on the roof of the public school in El Pedregal, Nicaragua. The solar electric system is an off-grid battery-based system with providing the two-room school with 11 lights, and 4 outlets with AC power. The solar system has not only brought light to this small community, it has also provided a place to hold community meetings, given adults who are taking classes in other towns a place to study in the evening, allowed people of all ages a chance to attend televised distant learning classes, created income for the school and has made it possible for more advanced teaching aids to be used.