SAIT Electrical Engineering Students getting ready to embark on a volunteer based project in Peru with a goal of installing a PV systems in one of the remote off-grid communities.
Last year our group has made a successful trip to a remote village of Romatambo located about 300km north of Lima at an altitude of almost 4000m. The community received a battery based system capable of lighting several rooms of their community center and providing power for some basic needs like usage of an electric blender for making meals for the school children and charging their phones.
Romatambo is a sheep farming community which is spread out over the large area. The community center serves as a place where meetings as well as social events take place, it also contains a nursery, a kitchen, tool storage area, and a church. The locals have welcomed our team with open hands and smiles on their faces. They have prepared lovely local dishes for us consisting of sheep meat, potatoes, and beans… all locally and organically grown.
Several farmers took time to visit with us and observe the completion of the installation.
Following in the footsteps of previous such student driven projects in 2017 and 2018, our group is currently running a crowdfunding campaign to help offset some of the costs associated with travel and equipment. Donors are issued an official tax receipts through SAIT’s crowdfunding platform and 100% of funds collected are going to be used directly in supporting this project.
Instructor, Electrical Engineering Technology at SAIT
