On the Ground in Peru

NuSol Capacity Fund is finally on the ground in Peru! We have held our first collaborative meeting with Cáritas, (www.caritas.org.pe) an international development organization that has more than 50 years experience in the country. Due to the complexities of working oversees, NuSol is seeking assistance from Caritas during the installation phase of the Peru Solar 2010 project.

The meeting with Caritas consisted of discussions pertaining to the details of the proposed partnership and the logistics of the 2010 project. Additionally, it was confirmed that our partnering community, Poncos, in the District of Shupluy, in Yungay Province in the Department of Ancash, meets the most basic requirements for selection - they have no access to electricity. Their only form of lighting once the sun goes down is from kerosene lamps.

 Soon a Cáritas representative will approach their local governor and municipality to gauge their interest in our project. If they are in fact open to the project we will travel to the community to perform a site feasibility study. During a typical feasibility study we check for physical obstructions to sunlight (e.g. mountains, trees, buildings), perform a rudimentary soil test, obtain precise lat/long coordinates, create a site layout, and most importantly confirm that the communities power needs can be supported by an off-grid renewable energy system. Back home, NuSol will use this information to finalize a system design, perform an analysis of available solar energy, calculate predicted production, and finalize system costing and required components.

In addition, we met with the Avina Foundation (www.avina.com) and discussed possible collaborations in the design of a “Capacity Building Module” to teach local residents about renewable energy and train them how to install, repair and maintain the PV system. Both NuSol and Avina consider the sustainability of projects, and thus the sustainability of the partnering community’s livelihoods, to be of foremost importance. The intent is that this module would be adapted and reused in future projects allowing for the creation of a network of local PV installation and maintenance providers.

In Seattle, NuSol is making steady progress. We have successfully obtained pro bono legal assistance from WAACO (Washington Attorneys Assisting Community Organizations- www.waaco.org) to help in obtaining 501(c)(3) status.

On other fronts, our web page has come together in stunning fashion thanks to the help of our web designer, good friend and owner of Sole Graphics, Matt Bain. Sole Graphics has donated extensive time and effort to the creation of this website. If you like what you see, you can check out more of their work at www.solegraphics.com. Thanks Matt!

Also, we owe a great debt to Alpha Technologies for their generous donation of (16) 165 watt solar panels, which serve as the physical nucleus of our project. Without their generosity this Pilot Project would not have been possible.

Much work lies ahead - both stateside and here in Peru. However, the initial signs here in Lima have all been positive. On a related note, while Peru still boasts many pockets of extreme poverty and vast disparities in wealth distribution, it is one of the few countries that has experienced continued growth in spite of global financial downturn. This means that that there are great opportunities for organizations such as NuSol to leverage areas of domestic growth for the betterment of those who continue to be excluded from the country’s economic expansion. More news to come…