Project Overview: Our first project in Puerto Rico project was centered at Hogar Albergue para Niños Jesús de Nazaret, a children's shelter in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. It is a home that offers shelter, food, transportation, education, social and psychological services to children from infant to 11 years of age who are victims of abuse. After Hurricane Maria’s devastation in September of 2017 and the hurricanes in January of 2020, there has been an energy crisis across the island. The shelter was paying approximately $800 to $1,000 a month for electricity. The goal of our project was to install a photovoltaic solar panel array with the aim to reduce or completely rid the children's shelters of their monthly electricity bill. The system currently contains ninety-six solar panel cells on top of three buildings at the shelter, feeding energy into four inverters, connected to a system of three battery banks.
From start to finish...
September 2017
2018
January 2019
2019 School Year
January 2020
October 2020
Fall 2021
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After Hurricane Maria’s devastation in September 2017, there was an energy crisis across the island. The children’s shelter, Hogar Albergue para Niños Jesús de Nazaret, was able to obtain electricity again, however, they were paying about $1,000 each month for unreliable electricity. The shelter did not have an abundant money supply to take care of all the things they needed such as aiding the children, paying employees, and providing enough energy and power to run the shelter.
January of 2018: The Project began in and was founded in conjunction with Professor Tinjum at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Ethan Heroux and Allie Stephens were established as the Project Managers. The goal of our project was to install a photovoltaic solar array with the aim to reduce or fully diminish the shelter’s monthly electricity bill, so those funds can be better used elsewhere. After the project was initiated, we moved on to making initial assessments of the shelters electricity demand, surveying the site, and drawing up a design for a solar system.
May 2018: We received a Puerto Rico Relief Fund grant for $20,000.
July 2018: We received a grant from Renew Wisconsin’s Solar For Good Initiative for $10,000.
August 2018: Professor James Tinjum biked 2,000 km in 2 weeks passing through 4 states and visiting 50 solar sites in 39 cities. During this #BiketheSun trip, he raised $5,000 from corporate donations and $2588 from public donations for the project.
October 2018: The Hogar received the First Lady of Puerto Rico grant for $25,000. This money was used to buy solar panels, inverters, and power distribution panels.
November 2018: We became an official Engineers Without Borders Community Engineering Corps project. We are the first project to operate in Puerto Rico.
In January of 2019, members from our team traveled to Mayagüez Puerto Rico to visit. They went to the children’s shelter for an assessment trip to better understand the site as well as any requirements and limiting factors. The team assessed the light fixtures, appliances, electronics, plumbing, and air conditioning as well as the state of subpanels and available connections. With the help of our design group and assessment trip, a layout was determined for the 103 solar panels, four inverters, and additional electrical equipment that are a part of this installation. The team held networking meetings with mentors and contractors, took detailed measurements of the facilities, and established specifications for appliances used in the buildings. They also continued to build relationships with the staff and children at the shelter.
Our Group Worked diligently throughout the 2019-2020 School year on our project designing the photovoltaic system, raising funds, and connecting with the community. In addition to the students work, Angel Zayas, of AZ Engineering, was solidified as an in-country contractor.
Design: Our design group worked with the mentors to complete final CAD drawings and One Lines for the photovoltaic system.. They also determined the supplies and materials that were needed.
Fundraising: this group of students worked to raise the remainder of our funds to implement the solar panels. The total project costed an estimated $150,000 and we were able to achieve this through Grants, fundraisers, and donations.
Education: The education group developed workshops, and an Operations and Maintenance manual to ensure the Hogar would be able to maintain and run the solar system after implementation.
Operations The operations group collaborated with EWB, the University of Wisconsin Madison, and the CEC in order to ensure all protocols and safety measures where in places for the project. The members completed status reports, and work plans for the project.
January 2020: A team traveled to the Hogar. The team established connections with contractors, finalized system designs, and further community relations. They were able to share our progress with the Board of Directors, complete last minute roof measurements and determine a room to store all the equipment. A timeline was established for the implementation of the system. Also, we received the Kemper K. grant for $12,000.
February 2020: The Operations & Maintenance Manual was finalized and reviewed by MAPC mentors. Final designs were sent to Angel and PREPA.
March 2020: The batteries for the system were donated by Blue Planet Energy, which was the last item to fund-raise.
July 2020: Implementation of the system begins.
August 2020: All materials arrived onsite, and the roof was prepped for solar panel installation. By the end of August, all solar panels were installed onto the three individual buildings.
September 2020: The inverter/control room was prepped for installation of the electrical components of the system. The room was completed near the end of September.
Next Steps: Continue working with the community and addressing any questions or concerns that they may have. We also plan to travel to the Hogar once it is deemed safe by the University and EWB.
The system was fully installed on October 5th, 2020 and startup happened shortly after that on October 9th, 2020 . The final system consists of 96 solar panels, 4 inverters, 3 battery units, 2 transfer switches, and many other electrical components necessary for operation. Startup of the system was made possible by the help of representatives from Schneider, ASCO, and Blue Planet. With a final cost of nearly $150,000 worth of materials and labor, we are more than grateful for all of the support we received from numerous individuals and funding partners for making this project a reality. Several maintenance/technical documents, such as the Operations and Maintenance Manual, were sent to the community to help familiarize them with the system and walk them through what to do if any issues arise. Throughout this project, the students on our team were able to gain hands-on experience in an inspiring engineering project while working alongside an amazing network of passionate professionals, both in Madison (MAPC) and in Puerto Rico. Our in-country engineer, Angel Zayas, and our contractor, Ernesto Rivera, were an incredible addition to the team and acted as mentors to our students throughout the entirety of the project. For the next five years, we will continue checking in with the community ensuring that the system is running as expected and that the community has no concerns or questions.
Almost a year after the system was fully installed, we are continuing to monitor the energy generation of the solar system for the Hogar. After some troubleshooting from the professional engineering team working with our group in Puerto Rico, the system is functioning as promised, as of September 2021. The panels are generating plenty of power to supply the Hogar with uninterrupted electricity, as well as sell some of the excess energy back to the local power grid. We will update this page with some statistics when they are readily available to us.
Student engineers working to make the world a better place