Rural Electrification Goals for Haiti: 1,920 Homes by Summers End

Work on the IEEE/Sirona Haiti Rural Electricity Project continues, all day every day, regardless of the fact that the blog falls behind at times.  In Haiti, our six operating SunBlazers deliver energy to 240 homes a day.  Every month our field technicians visit each station to ensure that everything is operating perfectly.  Haiti's environment is a challenging one, and so far the units deployed in June have withstood the Caribbean climate and everything is working well.  Our customers are satisfied with their home energy kits and only a few kits have needed repair since deployment.  Repairs are most frequently fixing loose connections resulting from a unit being dropped.  In a few cases the kits have required resetting because the battery was drained to the point of engaging the low voltage disconnect.  Our kits are designed for longevity, and the repairs have been handled by our field technicians without problem.  This type of warranty is very rare in Haiti.  When asked by new Operators how long the station will last, we are always happy to say, "As long as you pay your lease".  Operator and customer satisfaction are critical to us, and the lease payments allow us to provide full service technicians and replacement of parts as needed.

We are preparing to import nine new units into Haiti this spring which were donated by the IEEE and the CSI volunteers.  We will build an additional nine units in Haiti this summer with a grant from USAID.  USAID/OTI has many projects in the St. Marc area and we will be deploying nine of our units there as soon as the grant process is complete.  With the addition of these 18 units Sirona will have 24 units operating servicing 1,920 homes.  This grant with USAID is almost complete, however Sirona must complete it's registration process in Haiti.  We are busy with completion of that process now.

NGO registration has historically been a process that takes many years.  Rather than engage in the expense of registration Sirona has partnered with registered entities and worked without issue for the past three years.  Now, however, our projects have grown in magnitude and it is time to complete the official processes of full Haitian registration.  The current government has been working to speed the registration processes up, and we are optimistic that we will be registered in the coming weeks.

Last week Sirona received strong support from the Secretary of Energy, Dr. Rene Jean Jumeau, in the form of a Letter of Intent.  This letter allows us to operate legally for a year while we complete the formal registration requirements.  The support from the Haitian government has been steady and we are very grateful for all of the efforts that have been made to help Sirona provide energy to rural Haitians.  It is clear that President Martelly's administration is very focused upon energy as one of its top goals. Dr. Jumeau works to coordinate all of the actors in the energy sector to increase the impact that each organization might have on its own.  The admininstration's goal?  200,000 homes in two years.  Sirona is excited to be assisting with this goal.

The blog lapses from time to time simply because we are so busy with all of the projects that are in process.  Soon I hope to be reporting the more exciting news of deployment and the impact that having basic, sustainable energy gives to people who live far from the grid in Haiti.

Progress Reports from Haiti

Good news from the field. I arrived in Haiti Wednesday and hit the ground running. As it is when you work here, either a lot happens fast or nothing seems to happen at all. Since last summer the trips have all been of the first type. Fast paced and full of exciting motion as we launched and now seek to grow the IEEE/Sirona Haiti Rural Electricity Program and the Jatropha Program.

Our Jatropha program is scaling quickly. We will plant 100,000 new trees this year moving quickly once the rains start next month. Over 1,000 farmers are signed up to collect seedlings from our nurseries and care for them in their small farms. From its start, Sirona has worked to build sustainable communities. To that end we work with alternative energy and we support those who care for and educate children in our communities. During our first year we raised the money to feed the children at three orphanages 1/4 of the years food. Never wishing to create total reliance we have assisted as we could when donors wish to help children.

Last year we had some farmers who wished to expand their gardens but needed money to allow them to do so. Sirona lent ten farmers $50 each, and rather than seek repayment in cash we asked that the farmers bring $50 worth of food to the local school and the committee in charge of the Jatropha Program would keep track of the fulfillment of the loans. We reduced the administrative burden on our side and we were able to ensure that hundreds of children would receive lunch at school. The first meals were served this past week and there are many, many happy people in the community. It is wonderful when everybody wins.

I spent Thursday and Friday in Grand Goave with our Country Manager, Lexidan Edme. It was a coincidence that I was in the city at the same time the Edmes were, so they brought me out for our meetings that were planned for the weekend. In Haiti you take opportunities when they are in front of you. We discussed deployment of a new IEEE product, the Light Stick, as well as our current status with USAID funding proposals. I had lengthy interviews with our field technicians and have a good understanding of what is happening at each of our six SunBlazer sites. Bottom line: its all still a success.

IEEE/Sirona: Rural Electrification Project Ramping Up

The IEEE/Sirona Haiti Rural Electricity Project is designed to do many things in addition to bringing light to rural people in Haiti.  The project is economically sustainable, and relies upon a customer base that pays a monthly fee for electric service.  The cost to the Haitian family is $6.70 per month (or 250 Haitian Goude), a price set to be less than they were paying for kerosene, candles and cell phone charging.

In addition, our work encourages entrepreneurship and development of a formal economy.  Customers pay their fee to the local Operator who runs the solar 1.5 Kw SunBlazer unit and pays a monthly lease to Sirona.  In this way our economics are stable and we can both service the equipment for the long term, and roll revenue into more units and supply energy to more homes.  Every unit creates a business.  Finally, our program is designed to create jobs.  We have worked hard to prove that our model works, and thanks to the rural people of Haiti we have shown that we can deliver a SunBlazer into rural areas and successfully collect payments for seven months.  We have not had a single incident of theft or damage to a unit, every home has paid, and every Operator has paid.  Now it is time to create more jobs: assembly jobs.

Over the holidays both the Sirona and IEEE Community Solutions Initiative (CSI) teams rolled up our sleeves and readied ourselves to do a lot of work in Haiti this spring.  USAID is working with us on potentially funding two grants, one which will place another 18 SunBlazer units in rural Haiti in the next few months, and the other to build out an assembly facility in Port au Prince so that Haitian jobs will be created to build more SunBlazers.  Nine units are currently in New York partially assembled.  These units were donated by the IEEE and their volunteers are preparing not only the units, but also the assembly processes, for delivery in Haiti.  IEEE and Sirona team members will work together to establish Haitian assembly of SunBlazers beginning with the completion of the first nine units in Haiti.  These units are destined for St. Marc where USAID/OTI have projects underway.  Then, nine new units will be built in Haiti and sent to communities currently on Sirona's waiting list.  There are many contractual details to work out, so much of the work this month has been done from California via e-mail and in New York by the IEEE members.  We anticipate returning to Haiti sometime next month.  Our Haitian In-Country Manager, Lex Edme (pictured above) has already made trips to St. Marc with OTI to evaluate potential Operators in communities selected by the OTI team.

President Martelly recently stated that his government's goal is to reach 200,000 homes in two years.  Sirona will be working alongside to accomplish this goal.  Our Sirona and IEEE/CSI teams are made of big thinkers and action oriented people.  We dream big, we work hard, and we enjoy seeing the positive change that our work brings in rural Haiti now, and eventually in other countries where energy poverty persists.

Sustainable Change Occurring in Haiti through Alternative Energy

This week brings the end of three years of work in Haiti. As a friend commented recently, we really have come a long way. I am thrilled and amazed by the progress we have made towards our mission to build sustainable communities by placing the power to create, use and sell alternative energy into the hands of the poor. The most exciting thing to report about 2011 is that it was the year in which we empowered Haitians to change the lives of people in their communities, sustainably.

With over 100,000 jatropha trees planted (and an additional 150,000 funded for next year) we will soon see dramatic economic changes in rural Haiti. Each tree produces enough oil-rich seeds to create a gallon of oil that is a drop-in replacement for diesel fuel. This means that for the next 25-45 these 100,000 trees will bring economic improvement to rural Haitians while the trees improve soil and reverse deforestation. A critical byproduct of producing jatropha oil is a charcoal replacement briquette that is made by pressing the residue or seedcake from the pressing process. Our nurseries each produce 10,000 seedlings every three months and farmers eagerly take these seedlings to their land and plant them without displacing any food crops. Our press needs repairs and as soon as it is ready we will make our first oil. 2012 promises to be another incredible year.

We end 2011 with 240 homes that have their first electricity. Far from the grid these homes are serviced by the IEEE/Sirona Haiti Rural Electricity Program. The IEEE worked with Sirona to design and ultimately deploy six Sunblazer units. These are 1.5kW solar charging stations run by entrepreneurial Operators. Each Operator has forty customers who pay a modest $6.70 per month for basic electricity. Customers receive an energy kit that has a rechargeable battery, lights and the ability to charge cellular phones. When the kit is exhausted (five to seven days on average) the customer brings the battery kit back to the charging station and three hours later the kit is ready to return to their home. The IEEE and the Sirona team have been thrilled to see that, due to our culturally appropriate business plan, all 240 customers have paid every month, every Operator has made his lease payment to Sirona keeping the program sustainable, and nothing has been stolen or damaged since deployment in June.

This program has had such success that the Haitian Secretary of Energy has announced that Sirona Haiti's electricity program is the model for electrification of rural villages. USAID is supporting the program by building Sirona a Haitian assembly facility. This spring the first Haitian built Sunblazers will roll out to rural communities and provide the first electricity many have ever had--at a price lower than what they are currently paying for noxious kerosene, candles and cell phone charging.

We are very excited for next year, the groundwork has been laid for amazing progress to occur in 2012. As the year ends we thank all of our partners and friends in Haiti, our supporters, all of our donors, all of the IEEE volunteers and all of the funding provided by the IEEE for the Sunblazer pilot units. We thank the Government of Haiti for including Sirona in the energy sector strategic planning process and inviting us to display our unit at the Caricom Energy Week events. Many have read the article in World Magazine, and we appreciate all of the kind words and donations that this article has generated. Thank you, one and all. 2012 promises to be a very exciting year full of progress in Haiti and beyond. Year end donations are graciously accepted by the Sirona Cares Foundation!

Chasing Away the Night One Village at a Time

Please enjoy this guest blog from Rick Davis, Tech Assist Haiti:

One does not have to spend time in Haiti to appreciate the simple miracle that is artificial light. Each of us has memories of camping trips or major utility blackouts or hurricanes that we can reach back to and recall how absolutely dark is the night on this planet of ours.

An occasional foray into the night of the wilderness does not frighten us. It does not change our lifestyle. Our children are not impacted in their futures by lack of light. It’s just a camping trip. It is just a temporary utility problem. It’s just a hurricane. Soon we will be back in our warm cocoon of light; turning on a switch to chase away the night.

IEEE and Sirona Cares are chasing away the night for the rural people of Haiti one village at a time.

I was thrilled to be able to visit one of the six sites where an IEEE/Sirona entrepreneur-managed charging station is based. What I saw has convinced me that lighting a million homes in Haiti is possible using this model.

Michelle Lacourcere has posted the facts of her recent review of the sites. The facts are as stated. The people are not only extending their days into the night they are gaining a tremendous amount of self respect. In Haiti as in just about every place in the world there is a social divide between rural and urban populations; we certainly have that here in the United States. The simple act of turning on a light switch is no longer the great chasm that rural peoples must span to consider themselves modern. In six villages in Haiti that is.

The base stations are underutilized in a major way. This is a wonderful problem that can be solved in numerous ways. The excellent design and engineering of the base charging station permits one to imagine all sorts of additional utilizations, and revenue sources to the entrepreneur, that spring from the fact the four or five battery units are charged each day. It is my belief that the additional uses of the energy being produced will be provided by the people of each village. Do they need power for a tele-learning center? Electricity for a medical clinic to serve ten or twenty villages in the vicinity? An ice machine to keep water cold for those long humid days? Human ingenuity being what it is I cannot begin to think of all of the ways this gift of affordable, renewable, non-polluting energy will prove to be for the rural population of Haiti.

I have been privileged to view the IEEE/Sirona rural electrification project from inception through to successful pilot.  Indeed it is a privilege to see this project so well designed, built, implemented and managed. So much of what I do in Haiti every day encompasses wonderful ideas that remain, forever, ideas. Kudos to all for a job well done.

Rick Davis

Tech Assist for Haiti

The Value of Sustainable Impact vs. Charity

After a visit to Haiti people leave with only one of two reactions.  Some think Haiti is the worst place that they have ever seen.  Heartbroken and frightened after seeing extreme poverty they flee and never return.  The other reaction is one of being hooked by Haiti.  For life.

I fell in love with Haiti, and have spent three years working out what it is exactly that I can do to bring the most change for communities there.  Initially it was the children I focused upon, how to get them food, how to get them into school.  In the first few months of running this organization we raised the funds to feed four orphanages 1/4 of the years food.  While this was a great accomplishment, I must admit that once I sent the funds I was deflated.  I realized that this would be a perpetual cycle, and it was then that I developed a strong bent towards creating truly sustainable communities by creating ways that people in the communities could earn more and feed themselves.  We handled the largest post-earthquake aid delivery from Northern California, but again, like the money for food I had to weigh the cost of that project against it's impact.  20,000 people received basic necessities, at a cost of roughly $20,000.  This $1 per person ratio was not bad, however I know that $20,000 can be spent in ways that will have lasting impact that far exceeds the clothing and toiletries we shipped.

Our work on the IEEE/Sirona Haiti Rural Electricity Project shows exactly how funds can be spent to create massive change in places like Haiti.  The 1.5 Kw solar charging station provides life-changing benefits for 40 households.  Kerosene lamps are dangerous.  Their fumes noxious and many people, especially children, suffer terrible burns every year.  We have empowered people in Haiti by bringing jobs, business, and a step out of the darkness.  Today one of the orphanages we had assisted is able to buy food with income generated by their Sunblazer unit.

Our six pilot stations are operating perfectly and were not affected by recent storms.  All were visited by our Haitian field technicians in the past two weeks and interviews with both station Operators as well as customers confirm that this is a hugely successful endeavor, and that people simply love it.  The project is so embraced by the communities that all six units are safe and secure, and all home kits accounted for.  There has been no theft or tampering with any of the units.  This reflects another benefit of business over charity: we take better care of things that we work for than things that are given to us.

Our work is focused upon listening to Haitians about what they want, and they often say, "It's better to teach a man to fish than to give a man a fish".  Below is an excerpt from an e-mail I received after our trip.  Comments like this are encouraging, and let us know that not only in Haiti are we on the right track with our work: 

"My husband, Eric, shared with me the information that you passed on to him regarding Sirona Cares. Both the Jatropha Project and the IEEE Rural Electricity Program are amazing! What strikes me is your emphasis on building sustainable communities within Haiti and beyond. Truly, as stated in the Jatropha Project Overview, "charity is debilitating." When I was in Haiti in March, I was truly struck by the Haitian people and their strong desire to have jobs and a chance for a better life. In contrast, there appeared to be many well-intentioned groups offering aide to the people of Haiti. While no one would argue that the need in Haiti is great, the greatest need is not for foreigners to come in and "rescue" Haitians through foreign aide, but rather the need is for the establishment/building of sustainable communities.
 
We commend your vision to build sustainable communities! We also desire to become a part of building sustainable communities in Haiti and beyond. Thanks for sharing your story with us and giving us hope and confirmation that it is possible!"
 

 

Creating True Sustainability Through Alternative Energy

The mission of Sirona Cares is "To build sustainable communities".  We place the power to create, use and sell alternative energy into the hands of the worlds poorest people.  The goal is to create cycles of sustainability relating to energy and economics, and this vision is being realized in Haiti.

Pastor Honore Guerrier has been running an orphanage in Jeremie since the early '80s.  We met him in 2009 while visiting the area to consider the Jatropha Program.  Pastor Honore, like so many others in Haiti, was trapped in a freefall situation trying to find food and support for the fifty children in his care.  Charity was his only avenue of support, and finding aid in his isolated community was a monthly challenge.

Over the past two years we have received donations specifically earmarked for supporting childrens care, education and health; and we have directed some of those funds to Pastor Honore.  We have provided food, clothing, toiletries, and assisted with rebuilding a section of his orphanage following the earthquake.  Last year we assisted with school uniforms and school supplies for a number of his children and supported the group as they struggled with a bout of cholera wherein 10 children were hospitalized.  Always grateful, Pastor Honore has consistently provided us with his thanks and a clear record showing his stewardship of funds that we have supplied to him.

When the IEEE/Sirona Haiti Rural Electricity Project moved off of the drawing board and into reality we looked to groups we already know and trust, and Pastor Honore was selected as an Operator for one of our pilot units.  The unit was deployed July 4th and we had a joyful evening there setting up twenty of the lighting kits to check them.  The children were mezmerized by the lightbulbs.  The orphanage itself has not had electricity for eight years, so none of the children under eight had ever experienced electric light in their home.  There was singing, dancing, and sheer joy that night.  I will never forget watching a boy pull the chain and jump back when the lightbulb illuminated.  Imagine being seven or eight and never experiencing something so simple as turning on a light yourself.

We checked in with Pastor Honore the following morning and found him holding a customer seminar.  Our project has moved him from being the requestor of aid to the businessman providing a service to his community.  All forty kits were quickly distributed to customers ready to pay him to have light in their home, and after making his lease payment for the generator Pastor Honore will have an income stream to pay for his childrens food.  

This is the creation of sustainability.  Clean energy lighting an orphanage, lighting a neighborhood, and feeding children.  Business instead of charity creates sustainability.  As Pastor Honore proves his ability to maintain the franchise he will be allowed more units, up to five.  Ultimately he may service 200 homes and finally enjoy economic stability in his orphanage.  Very like the moment the child was dazzled by his ability to turn on the light, Pastor Honore is enjoying the feeling of dignity that comes from self-sufficiency.  Pastor Honore is Haitian, and while he would not make the connection, for me this was an "Independence Day" that I will never forget.

IEEE/Sirona Haiti Rural Electricity Program: Deuxieme Plaine Deployment

Sirona and IEEE/CSI members probably have a million stories to share from our recent trip.  We delivered basic electricity to over 1400 people in rural Haiti and started six franchise businesses by delivering solar-based IEEE/Sirona Haiti "Sunblazer" generating stations designed to re-charge forty customer home kits each. The following blog entries will summarize the deployment of these first six units.

Deuxieme Plaine, near Petit Goave, is the home of our incredible Jatropha farming group.  Their unit was delivered easily, towed by a very small Tracker jeep.  The group operating this franchise is known by Sirona to have very strong organizational skills, and not only have they leased their initial 40 home kits, they already have a waiting list for forty more home kits.  As we find more funding more units will be deployed.  An Operator may have access to a maximum of five units, bringing power to 200 homes through their franchise.

I thought it might it might be interesting to show the highlights of this deployment by video.  The best part for our team was being allowed to attend the first in-home battery kit installation.  The pride of the field technicians in their new work was obvious, and the joy expressed by the family is something I will never forget.  When the lights came on the wife cried, and when her husband got home he practically danced as he thanked us as best he could, in spanish.

Enjoy the following clip:

 

The term "IEEE" (the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is representative of the many subgroups and organizations within the IEEE and working with the IEEE that have participated in bringing the project to Haiti. These include the HTC (Humanitarian Technology Challenge group), the PES (Power and Energy Society), the NPSS (Nuclear Plasma Sciences Society), IEEE Canada, IEEE Region 9, Vodaphone, the UN Foundation, John Lorts Engineering and Nextek Power Systems as a sponsor as well as the dedicated employees who dedicated much time and energy to helping this program succeed. The term "Sirona" encompasses all donors, supporters and in-country partners who have helped to bring light to people in Haiti.

Training Seminar for Sirona Haiti Franchise Operators

We spent the past few weeks in Haiti launching Pilot 1 of the IEEE/Sirona Haiti Rural Electricity Project.  Six "Sunblazer" solar generators were shipped to Haiti and deployed to St. Etienne, St. Helen, Anse au Veaux, Dieuxieme Plaine, Jeremie and Marmelade.  Each solar generator has the capability to re-charge 40 customer home-kits daily, making basic electricity in rural Haiti a reality for 240 homes. 

We began the trip with an Operator/Field Tech training seminar in Grand Goave.  The training went very well, a lot of questions were asked and answered. Our program is unique by design.  By utilizing a franchise model we are able to provide long-term maintenance and repay investors over the long term.  The concept was very clear to Operators in training when we were asked, "How long with the equipment last?"  The correct answer is, "As long as you pay your lease".  This surprised, and pleased, all at the seminar.

There is no capital investment required of Operators to run a franchise, they have only two mandatory requirements: Operators must sign a contract with Sirona the outlines their responsibilities with regard to the equipment and lease payments; and Operators must attend mandatory training sessions.

Unfortunately one group from the first six selected failed to meet these requirements.  The Operator sent someone in his stead to sign the contract, and then sent others to attend the training.  It is critical that everyone in Haiti, as well as potential US investors, understand that this Pilot is the first step to developing an economically sustainable for-profit Haitian company (Sirona Haiti), it is not the charitable project of a benevolent NGO.  The difficult decision was made to take this unit and deploy it in St. Helen near Cayes with another group at the top of our ever-growing waiting list.  The community who lost the unit was very disappointed but has requested that they remain on the waiting list for a future unit; the community in St. Helen's excitement about receiving a  
unit so quickly cannot be overstated.

More than 20 people attended the training seminar, the Operators and Field Technicians as well as others interested in learning more about the project.  The seminar was held in Grand Goave, and facilitated by the Sirona represented by myself and Paul Lacourciere, IEEE/CSI members Ray Larsen and John Lorts, Pastor Lexidan Edme and Alain Armand who are managing support of operations and entrepreneurial training in Haiti. 

 

IEEE/Sirona Haiti "Sunblazer" Solar Generating Stations are Haiti Bound

It is with great excitement that I announce that the IEEE/Sirona Haiti Rural Electricity generating units are now on the water headed for Haiti.  We have finalized the schedules for deployment of the six units and along with IEEE engineers we will arrive in Haiti on the 20th to begin that process.  We have been working on this project with the Community Solutions Initiative (CSI) IEEE sub-group since the fall of 2009, and to be at the point of deployment is very exciting for the members of both teams.

The technology has been designed to create small businesses and provide reliable electricity to homes.  There are six "Sunblazer" units in the first deployment, so by July 8th we will have started six businesses and provided light to 240 homes.  The excitement that we have pales in comparison to the excitement in Haiti over the project.  Our first six Operators have already signed up their forty customers, and will attend training next week on operation of both the equipment and their business.  In addition to providing technical support for the units, Sirona is also providing entrepreneurial support for the Operators.  A successful Operator becomes a candidate for additional units and can ultimately receive up to 5, meaning that they will be providing electricity to up to 200 homes in their community and using residual energy from the units to run their businesses.

This is blog entry 200.  Since December of 2008 we have been formulating plans to improve life in Haiti and attempting to educate people here on what life Haiti is like, and what Haitians really need.  130,808 readers have visited the blog, and the support of people who believe in us personally, and/or in the vision we have for creating positive change in Haiti has gotten us this far.  Our early work was more focused on charity, and how to "help"; a reader can go through the posts to follow our transition from the charity mindset of "giving" to one of "partnership": working with Haitians to create sustainable change in their communities.  We are using alternative energy for the basis of change, and have created a strong Jatropha project and now a home electricity kit business.  "Poverty" is not the only word people should associate with Haiti; I hope that our programs will induce readers to associate more words like "inspiring", "ingenious", "creative", and "industrious" to the people of Haiti.

Our trip will last from June 20th-July 8th.  Should anyone in Haiti wish to see the units, we will be training Operators and displaying the equipment on June 22nd.  If you would like to attend, please contact me through this site for specific information on where the training will occur.