Cross Border Service Project Brings Solar Power to School in Honduras
Twelve students from the Pennsylvania State University Student Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) joined electrical contractors from the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Honduras in Roatán, Honduras, March 5-14, for NECA’s Cross Border meeting. While in Honduras, the students completed the design and installation of a solar electrical system that will provide power for a local school.
The students designed the system for the Sandy Bay Alternative School in Roatán and completed the installation with the help of Vegas Electric, an electrical construction firm and NECA member company also based in Roatán.
The Penn State "Renew Crew" at the Sandy Bay Alternative School in Honduras
Calling themselves the Renew Crew, the students’ goal for this service project was largely practical. The sustainable nature of a solar-powered electrical system met the school’s need for more reliable power, and the students got hands-on experience in both designing and installing the system.
“We designed the solar system in class, but we completed the installation in a completely unfamiliar environment,” said Roland Le Roux, a Penn State Ph.D. student in architectural engineering. “We had to resolve a lot of issues on site, so it was good that we had professional guidance from the local NECA electrical contractors.”
Member of the Penn State "Renew Crew" works on the new solar-powered electrical system. The 2.46 kW grid-tied solar electric system was prefabricated at Vegas Electric based on the students' design, then transported to the school. The on-site installation of the 12 (Kyocera) solar panels and of the (SMA) inverter, as well as the connection of the photovoltaic system to the electrical grid, was completed in three days. The solar PV power generation will offset 75 percent of the school’s energy usage and save $32,000 on electrical costs over the next 20 years.
Charles George, owner of Vegas Electric, has made the commitment to ensure the solar system is maintained. Vegas has been designing and installing renewable energy systems on Roatán and throughout Honduras and Latin America for 15 years. “We are pleased to be a part of this project,” George said. “Safe and reliable electric power can truly improve the quality of life in a community. Using solar energy is a bonus for everyone involved.”
Students see the service project as a model for a more expansive program called Renewable Energies in Central America (RECA) that would explore sustainable, renewable energy solutions that will improve living conditions for low-income communities in Honduras and other Central American countries.
Penn State professor and student chapter advisor David Riley helped plan the Honduras venture. “Our hope is that RECA will help students gain a greater respect and knowledge of the global community, the importance of cross-border relationships, and the industry as it exists within and beyond U.S. boundaries," Riley said.
The project also acted as a pilot program for the first NECA/ELECTRI International Student Chapter Competition. The Green Energy Challenge invites NECA student chapters nationwide to conduct a basic lighting/energy audit for a local K-12 school and develop a proposal for an energy retrofit. Prizes for the top three solutions include grants and free registration for student chapter members to the 2009 NECA Convention and Trade Show in Seattle, Sept. 12-15, where the finalists will present their solutions for final judging. The competition winner will be announced at the event. 
On the roof installing solar PV panels
Many of the contractors were impressed with the Renew Crew’s efforts and skills, and several students received internship and job offers based on their participation in the project. “Spending some time with the students was refreshing to me,” said Orvil Anthony, Vice President, Fisk Electric Co., and president of the South Texas Chapter, NECA. “They were all very bright, talented and enthusiastic, and you could see their sense of pride in what they collectively accomplished. For many of them, it was the first time to see a project from design through execution. They had to quickly react and provide solutions to the changes they faced when real life reared its ugly head and the actual job site condition didn’t match what was designed.
“I believe that this type a program adds a tremendous value to the future leaders of our industry,” Anthony added. “We now have 12 amazing spokespersons to spread the NECA story to all the lives they interact with now and into the future. The people you get to meet and the cultures you are exposed to are only some of the many reasons being involved in the Cross Border Meetings is important to the electrical industry.”
The students also expressed their admiration of the professional electrical contractors participating in the Cross Border Meeting. “It was an opportunity to discover and understand what the electrical contracting industry really does,” Le Roux said. “The electrical contracting industry is far more diverse, more multidisciplinary, more complex, and more attractive than what many of us originally thought. I learned a lot about the variety of topics that are dealt with within this industry, and it’s a lot more exciting than the average initial vision we have of an electrical contractor.”
The Cross Border Meeting and Talent Initiative are jointly sponsored by NECA and ELECTRI International – The Foundation for Electrical Construction. To learn more about a career in electrical construction, visit www.electrifyingcareers.com.
NECA is the nationally-recognized voice of the $130 billion electrical construction industry that brings power, light, and communication technology to buildings and communities across the U.S. NECA’s national office and its 119 local chapters are dedicated to enhancing the industry through continuing education, labor relations, safety codes, standards development, and government relations.
