Solar Energy – A Promising Future, Haiti

Project name: Solar Energy – A Promising Future, Haiti

Project location: Haiti

Website: http://www.stlukehaiti.org/education/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nphdeutschland/

Project description:

Haitians find themselves in the reality that their country is especially vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. The public electricity network is unstable and hardly accessible in some regions, especially remote ones - a factor derailing economic development. Besides, energy production in Haiti is largely dominated by diesel generators that are not only associated with immense costs, but also cause severe environmental damages.

As a Caribbean country benefitting from exceptionally high sun insulation, Haiti offers a promising future for solar engineering: organizations and companies in Haiti are employing solar energy to run their projects, the state’s energy supplier Electricité d’Haiti (EDH) and the government are pursuing ambitious plans for expanding the use of solar techniques in the country.

However, this potential is counteracted by a deficit of skilled workers in the Haitian solar sector. Young people make up more than a third of Haiti’s population and are important drivers of development. They are striving for a self-determined future in their country, but are often troubled by a reality of unemployment or informal employment.

Goal and purpose of the project:

Solar energy is not only an important and future-oriented alternative to fossil fuels, it is also part of an industrial sector that offers rich job perspectives. The purpose of the project is to train motivated young Haitians to become qualified solar technicians, at the same time demonstrating that clean energy production offers a promising future for a low-income country.

The project has the short-term objective to provide 30 young Haitians with a 2-year vocational training in electricity and solar engineering, transferring relevant theoretical and practical know-how to them. German solar engineers trained Haitian vocational teachers in the pilot project to then pass on the whole training program to them. It shall be expanded and accredited in the framework of the project, giving more motivated young Haitians meaningful employment for a future perspective in the emerging solar industry.

Apart from delivering an important job perspective to young people, the project contributes to an important long-term goal: promoting solar engineering and fostering economic and ecological development in Haiti.

Motivation of the applicant / applicant team:

Our applicant team consists of the project teams of nph deutschland and St. Luke Foundation that have benefitted from a long-standing dynamic cooperation.

In St. Luke’s vocational school „Notre Dame de Guadeloupe“ a vocational training program with a specialization in solar technology was piloted with the support of the German Biohaus-Foundation. A large project connecting several local humanitarian programs and institutions to a Solar Smart Grid provided the students with in-depth practical training.

The vocational school lies at the heart of our collaboration because the focus of our work is to provide life perspectives to young people. Furthermore, our experience has shown that the solar industry offers a promising path towards sustainable development in Haiti. We consider it part of our mission to provide education to tackle climate change.

Use of prize money:

The prize money is intended for the advancement of the vocational training program, enhancing future perspectives for 30 young Haitians.
This includes further training for the vocational teachers, technical equipment and devices for vocational training.