Tiburon Turns On! EarthSpark International launches second solar microgrid in Haiti, Sets precedent

Smart Solar Microgrid Illuminates a Path for Solar Power to Energize Rural Haiti

The Tiburon solar array enjoys a gorgeous view of the Caribbean sea.

The second customer to get connected pulls on the light switch for the first time in her business.

[TIBURON, HAITI, Dec. 21]: EarthSpark International launched its second solar-powered microgrid in Haiti today. The system is the first community-power grid to be approved under Haiti’s new national regulatory body. Building on EarthSpark’s model of community-scale smart solar infrastructure, the grid will serve 500 homes and businesses with 24/7 electricity in Tiburon, a small fishing town in the southern peninsula. The launch marks a major step in mainstreaming microgrid power in Haiti.

“Microgrids hold enormous potential to quickly bring electricity to communities across rural Haiti. For 10 years now, EarthSpark and our Haitian affiliate Enèji Pwòp have been building a foundational track record of clean energy delivery in rural Haiti,” says Allison Archambault, President at EarthSpark International. “The launch of the Tiburon grid is a success story for multi-sector partnerships building a market that can scale-up to sustainably electrify the 70% of the Haitian population still living without electricity.”

To achieve the launch, EarthSpark worked closely not only with the community of Tiburon, but also with local and national elected officials, with the national regulatory authority, the national electricity company Électricité d’Haïti, the Haitian engineering firm DigitalKap, and with international stakeholders including the US Agency for International Development and the World Bank to inform practical and policy next steps.

"The government is committed to improving electricity access in rural regions by deploying smart microgrids in more than 51 sites. Today, with the collaboration of EarthSpark and Enèji Pwòp, we did it in Tiburon in the South Department. This is the first provisional license for a community microgrid ever signed by the regulatory authority for the energy sector," said Dr. Evenson Calixte, Director of the National Regulatory Authority (ANARSE).

In addition to being a point of progress for clarification in the legal and regulatory environment for energy in Haiti, the Tiburon grid also represents a point of resilience in the face of natural disasters. Tiburon was hit hard in 2016 by Hurricane Matthew. Though EarthSpark had already secured funding and local support for the grid, the storm brought down pre-existing poles and wires. USAID and the Haitian government provided support to rebuild the distribution system and to complete the full construction of the grid.

The Tiburon grid is a 95kW solar smart grid that offers a clean, 24-hour, and affordable electricity for homes and businesses which had never before had access to reliable grid electricity. The grid has a backup diesel genset – the last genset EarthSpark will install as it transitions to 100% solar power for future grids. Customers, energy vendors, and grid managers interact with the grid through the  SparkMeter utility interface which enables pre-payment billing, load management, and theft detection to ensure efficient operations. 

EarthSpark’s microgrids directly achieve the United Nation’s seventh Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), affordable and clean energy, while unlocking opportunities to progress all 17 goals including:

• SDG 1 No Poverty: Residential customers save up to 80% and commercial customers save up to 50% on pre-grid energy expenses (ie. candles, kerosene, and diesel).
• SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being: Electricity displaces fuels like candles, kerosene, and some charcoal which release harmful air pollutants which contribute to causing respiratory health diseases especially for women.
• SDG 11/13 Sustainable Cities and Communities/Climate Action: Clean and decentralized microgrids build economic and climate resilience in Haiti’s most climate vulnerable communities.
• SDG 16 Peace and Justice Strong Institutions: The first microgrid authorized by the Government of Haiti’s new regulator created to reform energy in Haiti, including the promotion of private microgrid development.

 
As of today, residents of Tiburon will join a small handful of communities in the Caribbean nation with reliable 24-hour electricity. The grid was funded primarily by the OPEC Fund for International Development with additional support from USAID, The Pan-American Development Foundation, the Organization of American States, and individual donors.

To see events from the launch, customer profiles and more, follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @EarthSparkIntl.

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