Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech), one of GridEd’s partner universities, is taking steps to send 14 electrical engineering undergraduate students to a remote mountain village in Haiti, to a hospital that is powered by diesel generator.

Currently, diesel fuel must be brought in by truck up to a point, then carried the rest of the way, which is costly and difficult for workers.  Under the direction of Georgia Tech Research Engineer Frank Lambert, students designed a PV and battery storage system for the clinic using donated PV panels, batteries, switch gear and hardware. Students will donate their time over spring break to pre-build the solar battery system which has sufficient capacity to power the facility most of the time, greatly reducing the hospital’s need for diesel fuel.

The team will depart on May 8.  Follow their progress here.