blueEnergy Electrifies Rural Nicaragua with Wind and Solar
by Eliza Barclay, Nomad on 01.10.08
While international aid groups are well-intentioned, they sometimes don't offer developing countries the greenest or most practical options for assistance. Take Nicaragua, where aid agencies have encouraged residents of isolated rural communities to use costly diesel generators for electricity. Enter blueEnergy, a pragmatic non-profit organization that is building hybrid wind and solar systems to power homes, schools and rural clinics in this region where nearly 80 percent of the population lacks electricity. Since 2004, blueEnergy has built eight turbines with 7.5 kW in installed capacity in six Nicaraguan communities, providing electricity to some 1,500 people.
"blueEnergy’s approach to rural electrification focuses on manufacturing wind turbines on the Caribbean Coast, near the point of usage. This local, wind power centric focus keeps energy costs low, improves servicing feasibility, and provide jobs where they are desperately needed," the group's web site reads. blueEnergy notes that the hybrid systems makes more sense here because solar alone can entail high costs and imported wind projects "often fail to meet production expectations or fail entirely due to the harsh environment and improper servicing." blueEnergy
Thanks for the write-up.
I just wanted to clarify an important point on the last quote of the article. In our literature we say:
"Finally, some development projects use imported wind turbines, which tend to be very expensive and most often fail to meet production expectations or fail entirely due to the harsh environment and improper servicing."
I've highlighted the term "imported" because that's a key qualifier that was left out of the quote in the article.
Cheers,
Mathias Craig
Co-founder and Executive Director
Thanks for the heads up, Mathias. We'll get that fixed.
TH
I have a home in Granada and travel to Nica, spending time there. Can I perhaps be of some assistance in this project. I have a BSEE from UC and 40 years of industry experience, and am retired. I have recently completed a tour with Peace Corps Africa. So I am interested in vollunteer projects.