Provide electricity to 500 students in Belize

Dear All,

A lot has been going on in the last five months -- and I am way overdue on my update report. I apologize! Not only have I been busy personally but at the school, we have been embarking on new initiatives while also embracing a new principal, Miss Elsy, who is doing a phenomenal job. As I had mentioned previously ... we had work done by SESB to re-position one of our solar arrays onto a flatter roof area (the system that serves the classrooms and kitchen)... and we also had some older, non-functional panels removed from the system that serves the office, computer-lab, and dental clinic complex.

In late March/early April, I made a site visit and inspected the work that had been done by our SESB partners and all looked good.I have attached a few very recent pictures from that site visit, where my volunteer team did a lot of new construction, rehab, and work in the school libary (see below).

That said, unreliability in city electrical service tends to play havoc with our grid-feed system causing it to shut down frequently due to unstable power, which can damage system components -- not the panels themselves -- but components involved in converting direct to A/C current that are connected to zero-grid feed units. For example, while I was there, we noticed some instability, including a few blackouts. While inconvenient, residents are used to them, and grid-tied systems are designed to be resilient -- to a point ... however, recent analysis by SESB, just received today, states that "in order to get the most out of your planned expansion, an engineer may need to make a site visit to assess if any components have been damaged before we develop a full specification for the expansion."

It is likely that I will agree to their proposed site visit -- as I think it is wise -- but -- thanks to you -- we have raised enough $ to cover the cost of this visit! 

Our plan is to divide the expansion into two lots. Lot 1 will invest in a $30K expansion; after that is up and operational, a secondary needs assessment will be made; and the size of a second lot will be determined. 

PLEASE REMEMBER: NO MATTER where solar is located, it helps mitigate the climate change crisis! In light of the current international political situation -- and in light of dwindling arctic sea ice ( my professional career is in meteorology) we need this now more than ever!! We need your help more than ever in sustaining what you have built, and adding to it. Please make renewables a target of your giving, and if you can't do it effectively in the US, do it overseas. Here's a perfect opportunity.
Most sincerely,

John