blueEnergy
blueEnergy is a non-profit organization building sustainable energy and water systems on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. The organization began in October 2002 with an award-winning class project by co-founder Mathias Craig while he was a graduate student at MIT.[1] Since then blueEnergy has installed eight small power stations in remote Rama and Miskito communities that otherwise have no access to electricity, save for the occasional diesel generator.[2] In order to make its systems truly sustainable, blueEnergy builds with the help of locals who are then able to maintain them.
The typical blueEnergy electrical installation is based on a Hugh Piggott wind turbine, connected to a set of deep-cycle batteries. Depending on the community, the power generated may be used to charge standard consumer rechargeable batteries or provide regular electricity to a central community building such as a school. Installations also include solar cells for additional power generation, particularly on days when there is no wind.[2]
Since 2009, blueEnergy has broadened its activities to include water filtration and sanitation services, which are often more urgently needed than energy in the communities it serves.[3]
The organization's main administrative office is located in San Francisco, while project work is centered around their shop in Bluefields, run by Guillaume Craig.[2] In addition, Lâl Marandin operates an office in Managua, and Michèle Grégoire runs their office in Paris.[4]
Mathias Craig and blueEnergy have been honored with several awards including the 2007 economic development Tech Award and 2007 CNN Heroes finalist.[5][6] In 2008, he was elected an Ashoka fellow.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Luttrell, Sharron (May/June 2008). "Alumni Profiles: Mathias Craig, SM '03". Technology Review. http://www.technologyreview.com/article/20626/. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ a b c Sabo, Eric (16 September 2007). "S.F. nonprofit's energy vision lights Nicaraguan villages' future". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/16/MNLRRUS15.DTL.
- ^ Barclay, Eliza (6 November 2009). "Electricity for rural Nicaragua". The World. http://www.theworld.org/2009/11/electricity-for-rural-nicaragua/. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ Vergara, William. "The Adventure of Producing Blue Energy in the Caribbean Region". Envío. http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/4285. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ "The Tech Awards Laureates 2007". http://thetechawards.thetech.org/laureate/archive/2007. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ CNN Heroes: Mathias Craig. CNN. 30 July 2007. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2007/07/30/cnn.hero.mathias.craig.cnn.[dead link]
- ^ "Mathias Craig, Ashoka". http://www.ashoka.org/fellow/mathias-craig. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
