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Haitian Assembly of SunBlazers Starts Today

Last week nine SunBlazers (the parts for nine SunBlazers) arrived from America.  The IEEE donated the equipment and has worked to outline the process of assembly so that units can be built from now on in Haiti. 

A warehouse has been secured and the units and all parts have been unloaded.  This process took two days and required more Haitian strength and know-how than equipment.  A forklift was ordered for the first day but it never arrived (it's carrier broke down), so on the second day another forklift was ordered.  As it turned out, the units were unloaded with the flatbed that brought the forklift.  The Haitian crew had it all figured out quickly and efficiently.

Yesterday was Sunday, so this was a day off.  We will work six day weeks and expect the assembly process to go quickly.  The team is a strong one, six men of which four are general laborers, one is an electrician and one is a carpenter. There are also two key Sirona personnel overseeing the process.  The tools have been collected and now we begin the step-by-step process of turning the trailers into 1.5 Kw solar SunBlazer generators.

In the field the news is very good.  After a month long process we are happy to announce that nine Operators have been selected in the St. Marc communes to run the franchises.  All are eager and well qualified.  In one instance, the Operator candidate secured the names of 200 customers to show how interested he is.  Soon we will run training programs for them to ensure proper operation of the units and, more importantly, proper management of their franchises.

On Wednesday I will be presenting to the Haitian Rotary here in Port au Prince.  As it turns out they are very interested in looking at energy programs, and I have a presentation that was prepared for the Johannesburg conference about our work in Haiti that is ready to go.  This should be a great opportunity to tell more Haitians about this exciting program.  This project alone shows how quickly, efficiently, and affordably light can be brought to 747 rural homes at a time.

When You're Holding the Tiger By The Tail, Don't Let Go!

Johannesburg, South Africa; Witts University

The IEEE convened a conference at the Witts University last week and Sirona was there to participate in a CSI (Community Solutions Initiative) working group that worked all week to educate and collaborate with African based NGOs on the successful work relating to the SunBlazer in Haiti.  The university was symbolically appropriate as it is focused upon social justice.  Nelson Mandella attended this university.

The technology for the Rural Electricity Program is simple.  It is designed to be a radically affordable way to bring basic electricity to homes deprived of energy where solar power is appropriate.  The business plan for the program is unique in that it is an economically viable way to bring power to the poorest people.  By charging customers roughly what the household pays for Kerosene alone we can bring enough power to a home with energy efficient lighting to not only illuminate a home, but also provide the subscriber with enough energy to charge cellular phones.  The product has been eagerly sought and is currently over-subscribed in Haiti, and now we are taking the fist steps to scaling in Africa.

Many exciting things are happening, and the days are filled with a lot of hard work.  In Haiti we are fulfilling a USAID grant that will bring light to 747 homes by the end of next month in the St. Marc communes; and we have the funding in place for an additional 1,253 by the end of the year.  We are beginning the process of in-country assembly, ironing out supply chains, and quickly moving the program into its next iteration.  Today we also received notification from UNEP that we have received another grant to undertake an end-of-grid program to enroll an additional 3,000 homes in our program and create thirty new small businesses.

In Africa the working group members came from South Sudan, Cameroon and Nigeria.  The CSI is eager to move forward and IEEE is committing to a ten year plan wherein 50 million people will receive electricity through this program.  IEEE will donate the equipment, and Sirona is a key player working to get the program scaling. 

The most memorable quote from the days we spent working in Johannesburg was the title of this blog entry: "When you are holding the tiger by the tail, don't let go!" (or else one of two things will happen: you will be mauled, or you will be left in the dust).  Wise words and a worthy challenge for us as we move forward both in Haiti and beyond.

From Haiti to Africa, and Back Again

Two weeks ago I was in Port au Prince feeling the heat of the Haitian summer, and now I am in Johannesburg feeling the cold of an African winter. On the 18th I will be back in Haiti's summer again.  

In Haiti we made final preparations for the assembly and deployment of nine new SunBlazer units to the St. Marc communes.  These are the last of the IEEE donated equipment shipped from New York to Port au Prince and the units have since cleared customs.  We met with USAID and Chemonics in St. Marc to confirm our methodology for selecting the nine Operators thereby completing the second of five milestones in this grant.  Our selection, training and deployment schedule is set and by the 20th of August 747 St. Marc homes will be lit.  Next we will use the funding from the USAID grant to build nine more units for deployment before the end of the year.  These will be the first SunBlazers built entirely in Haiti.

Everything is running smoothly.  Operator selection is occurring in St. Marc, candidates are being interviewed, and selection should be completed by the 20th of July.  On the equipment side we have secured an ideal location for final assembly of the units.  Six jobs were created by this assembly project and these workers will most likely form the backbone of the Haitian assembly workforce that we will be hiring.

I left Haiti on a very positive note and spent a week preparing for our trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.  On Friday afternoon we began the 30 hour journey to the IEEE conference, Power Africa 2012.  Sirona was invited to run workshops alongside the conference on the Rural Electricity Program with the Community Solutions Initiative group.  The IEEE provided the seed funding and technical expertise for the first units (fifteen in all) with the understanding that securing the resources to scale the program is the responsibility of Sirona.  The IEEE/Sirona partnership has been very successful and will have lit over 2000 homes in Haiti by years end.  Both organizations are very excited about opportunities to expand this work beyond Haiti.

The Power Africa conference begins today and our three day workshop begins tomorrow.  Immediately following the conference we begin our journey back to Haiti.  Paul, the COO, goes directly from Johannesburg to Haiti to complete the nine units for St. Marc, and I go back to California and then on to Haiti on the 18th.  Preparing for this conference has given me time to reflect on the amazing partners we have found in Haiti, and all of the hard work and dedication it took to get here.  I am proud to be in Africa telling stories of Haiti that show engenuity, persistence, and achievement; and I look forward to getting back to Haiti to meet the next nine Operators that our local managment will select this week.

A quick note of thanks: I want to thank Brooke Scarborough a Sirona Intern who gave up a month of her summer vacation and spent that time in Haiti helping with the energy project.  Not everyone is cut out for internship in Haiti, but it must be said that Brooke was a great addition to the team and she will be missed by many.