Provide electricity to 500 students in Belize

Greetings one and all!

Since my last report there has been lots of new activity. But, since I will be making a site visit next week I will be brief and provide just the highlights -- then dig into some more details next report.

• We have completed our contract signing for Phase 3 with Baker Renewable Energy. While we have not met our fundraising goal yet (we are still about $18K short), we have sufficient funds to get the ball rolling. In addition, we will be making some repairs on the Phase 1 array -- which requires replacing the original microinverters with updated ones consistent with those used in Phase 2 and  those to be used in Phase 3. The original ones, we found out, were not as resistant as hoped to the stress of a tropical salt water environment. Seven or eight of the original ones have failed -- thus the need to upgrade the whole array.
• We have completed a circuit/wiring diagram and will be making some changes in the way our main breaker panels and sub-panels are connected. The first of these changes will be to put the office complex onto the closest main breaker (200AMP) which has the capacity to absorb the extra load. This breaker is also routed through the Phase 1 solar array--thus the office complex will have the benefit of the Phase 1 array while taking it off of the overloaded breaker that is responsible for the rest of the school's electricity consumption.
• We will also replace the overloaded, small breaker (connected to Phase 2) with a 200AMP service to eliminate any more of the overload that was noted during my last sight visit. This will also balance out the draw on the Phase 1 and Phase 2 arrays.
• We are engaged with Belize Electricity Limited in terms of acquiring our next bi-directional smart meter. I hope this will be resolved soon.
• Finally, we hosted the very fine Global Giving representative, Ms. Daillen Culver. Daillen filed a thorough trip report, including the following as part of the report: (1) Richard, Cindy, and Miss Dora were all incredibly welcoming and gave me a wonderful tour of the Holy Cross Anglican School's campus. I was truly impressed by all the work they have done, and continue to do, in order to improve the lives of the children of Ambergris Caye; (2) I think that occasional Project Reports written by onsite staff or someone in the field could be a great way to diversify updates and give perspective on work taking place on the ground in San Mateo; (3) I think it's amazing that the Holy Cross Anglican School is so committed to sustainability. In a region where this kind of environmental responsibility is not common, they are constantly working to reduce their impact. I think it would be worthwhile to invest in an equally comprehensive education program, focusing on teaching kids about climate change and human impact on the environment. This provides an even more sustainable solution, as these children can go on to become leaders in protecting Belize for years to come; (4) The Holy Cross Education Foundation is a shining example of education's ability to empower a community. Their efforts have brightened the futures of countless children and simultaneously created a brighter future for Belize!

So, this report, we want to focus a shining light on Global Giving and what they are doing around the world to make not only our project, but countless projects like ours, successful. And, thank you to our donors, for making this remarkable project possible!

Sincerely,

John