Update: March 2007

Further Capacity Expansion - Test Tower

blueEnergy continues to expand its operating capacity at its shop on the INATEC campus in Bluefields.  blueEnergy has retrofitted its new shop space with metal cutting and welding workstations as well as dedicated painting and electronics testing stations.  The new configuration allows up to three turbines to be manufactured simultaneously.  In addition, blueEnergy recently erected a 80 ft tilt up test tower which serves as a testing station for all turbines before they are sent into the field.  Turbines are tested for 2 weeks, during which time their power characteristics, energy generation and furling are monitored and compared to established norms.  On the human capacity side, the Bluefields operation is now staffed by 12 people full-time: 4 Nicaraguans and 8 international volunteers.  This number will only rise going forward.

Picture Album

Website Address and Email Changes

blueEnergy has changed its primary web address to www.blueenergygroup.org .   The name change is being made to reflect the fact that blueEnergy is growing and is now composed of more than one organization.  We have also changed hosting services to give our website a performance boost.  Please note that all blueEnergy email addresses have been updated to reflect this change and are now of the format firstname.lastname@blueenergygroup.org

Alianza Energy Conference in Guatemala City

The Energy and Environment Partnership with Central America (EEP/AEA/ALIANZA) held its bi-annual renewable energy conference from February 19 – 21 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The conference was entitled “Financial Opportunities for Renewable Energy Projects in Central America” and featured a significant number of key stakeholders from the Central American region as well as Europe.  blueEnergy executive director, Mathias Craig, and associate director & director of blueEnergy Nicaragua, Guillaume Craig, participated in the conference as invited guests.  Guillaume Craig participated in a panel of successful projects funded by the EEP, which was attended by nearly 200 people. One of the highlights of the conference was Austria joining Finland as the second European partner financing the EEP.

Picture Album

Energy Without Borders Conference in Antigua, Guatemala

Energy Without Borders (EsF – Energía sin fronteras), a Spanish organization, hosted a conference on the subject of rural electrification of isolated regions in Central America from February 27 to March 1 in Antigua, Guatemala.  blueEnergy was invited to the conference to present its work and experience in rural electrification in the isolated region of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua.  Longstanding blueEnergy team members Christian Casillas and Amos Elias made the trip and gave a well-received presentation.

Presentation | Picture Album

Presentation to Stakeholders at Canadian Embassy

On March 12^th, Kerry Max, head of Cooperation of Canada in Nicaragua, hosted a blueEnergy presentation at the Canadian Embassy.  The presentation was attended by key stakeholders from the Nicaraguan Ministry of Energy and Mines (including the director or rural electrification and the director of planning for the Ministry), USAID, the Icelandic Cooperation, Austrian Cooperation, among others.  The Canadian International Development Agency provided key financial support to blueEnergy in 2006, allowing blueEnergy to expand its production capacity at its shop in Bluefields.  This meeting was a followup to the Candian Cooperation’s support and had the purpose of introducing blueEnergy to the national and international development community in Nicaragua and vice versa.

Presentation | Picture Album

Upcoming Installations

Two new energy system installations are in progress in the municipality of Pearl Lagoon, to the north of Bluefields, in the communities of Kakabila and Set Net.  Both installations will be used primarily to electrify the schools in the respective communities, however both will also include a community battery charging station component.  The capital costs of the installations are generously covered by the French government body of île de France, however the communities are responsible for the maintenance costs.  The battery charging activities will generate revenue to help cover these costs.

Picture Album (Kakabila) | Picture Album (Set Net)

Home Electrification Micro-Loans

As in all of its projects, blueEnergy only uses public funds for public benefit, like electrifying public schools.  All private energy use, such as in the home, is the financial responsibility of the beneficiary.  In 2006 blueEnergy executed a pilot project with ADEPHCA, a local micro-finance organization in Bluefields to provide Rama families in the community of Punta de Aguila with small loans (~$200) to purchase kits to electrify their homes.  The kits include a deep-cycle battery, a battery box, a low-voltage disconnect device, wiring, switches and two lights.  When the battery needs charging, a family member brings it to the centrally located charging station and pays a fee (~$2) to charge it, then brings it back home.  The pilot home electrifying loans proved to be a great success and blueEnergy is in negotiations with a major international micro-finance institution to expand the program in collaboration with ADEPHCA.

2006 Donation Receipts

Receipts for 2006 donations to blueEnergy were issued last week.  If you made a donation in 2006 and have not received a receipt, please contact us at donations@blueenergygroup.org

Get Involved - Become a Monthly Contributor

blueEnergy is working to generate sustainable revenue streams but it remains committed to its social mission – serving those most in need.  This bold social mission leads blueEnergy to tackle difficult projects that require a significant outlay of human and capital resources and where sustainability is not easily achieved.  These projects are marathons, not sprints.  Being a modest nonprofit, blueEnergy does not itself have the large financial reserves required to sustain its efforts long enough to reach the phase of sustainability. 

I urge you to consider signing up as a monthly blueEnergy contributor today.  Help us develop the building blocks that will bring sustainable energy services to one of the world’s most remote, poorest regions.  It’s a long journey, but blueEnergy is in for the long haul and together we will get there.

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