Electricity in the Philippines is expensive, and for a school educating almost 900 children from the poorest communities in Manila it is a drain on the precious money that the charity PCF, receive from their fundraising efforts. PCF is the Philippines Community Fund, started and run by Southampton based Jane Walker MBE. The school building itself is a testament to kindness and innovation as it is built from 78 recycled shipping containers 40 feet long, that were donated and turned into a four storey building, providing education for children and vocational training for adults. The large flat roof is perfect for solar PV and the high levels of solar energy in the Philippines mean that solar makes a lot of sense. The building is immensely strong and was engineered by the global engineering firm Hyder Consulting free of charge.
In addition to the school and a multitude of other projects, the PCF also provide a health clinic in the nearby slum, which has no access to electricity. Connections to the national grid are both expensive and risky in areas where illegal connections are commonplace. The answer to this is the provision of an off-grid system which will supply lighting, ceiling fans and power for a few pieces of equipment and the fridge which contains the vaccinations and medicines.
And now it is our turn to help, so EvoEnergy’s Technical Manager, Tim Hickman has designed a 4.8 kWp system for the school and a 2.16 kWp off-grid system for the clinic. Tim and his friend Richard who is one of our electrical sub-contractors are taking two weeks out in September to fit the two arrays and plan the second phase of the project, which is to enlarge the schools solar system to meet more of their electricity consumption and establish the supply chain contact necessary for this type of project. Tim is no stranger to this kind of work having previous experience in India providing solar PV systems for other NGO organisations.
EvoEnergy are proud to support this project and have donated materials and logistical help. There is still more funding to be raised for materials so if you wish to help you can donate at: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/polygridders, where a page has been setup for donations to PCF that will be dedicated to funding this project. Donations through Virgin Money are tax efficient.
To learn more about the Philippines Community Fund visit: www.p-c-f.org