Madagascar Solar Power

The Friends of Madagascar Trust (NZ)

FOMT (NZ)

Introduction

Back in 1997 there was a worldwide call that went out from the African Evangelical Fellowship (AEF) for volunteers to help with the building, the first ward at the mission hospital, Hopitaly Vao Vao Mahafaly (HVM) in Mandritsara, Madagascar. The first Team to respond to this call was made up with folk from the Opawa Baptist Church. Subsequently with one of the original Team members migrating to Bryndwr Baptist Church the support for the building of this mission continued, with Teams going to Mandritsara in 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013. During these visits the vision expanded to undertaking building and other work to the mission school Ecole Bonne Nouvelle (EBN) and the newly formed local mission radio station.

A vison grew as a result of these mission trips toward funding and constructing a purpose built school for EBN and plans were drawn up and fund raising undertaken. In recent years and in most part to the popularity of the school, it became evident that a larger school capable of providing for more students would be very difficult to resource with qualified teachers along with the necessary finance to run the operation on a day by day basis as all costs need to be meet by tithes and gifting.

FOMT (NZ) were required to make a decision on how effectively and best to spend the significant of financial support it had gained to better the resource the school and gospel radio station. A decision late in 2015 was made to supply and install a purpose built solar power system for the use of the school and radio station. 230VAC mains power in Mandritsara is expensive and very intermittent in availability necessitating the need to provide the shortfall from other standby generators. All power generation is by way of diesel which is always in short supply in the rainy season when roads are closed. The costs savings from installing a solar power plant will now be channelled into education resources and improved operating hours for the radio station, which is also involved in community education, particularly health and welfare as well as providing Christian material.

The planning of the new solar system has been to use a New Zealand designed and supplied solar control system supported by solar panels source from here as well. The design of the solar array mounting and mounting materials will also be supplied from New Zealand. A 2 man team will leave New Zealand in October to carry out the installation and commissioning the system and once up and running the life expectancy will be 20+ years with little maintenance needed.

This Project has ticked most of the boxes for FOMT (NZ) especially education and its contribution to “Green” energy.

This project allows the School / Radio station to have reliable electricity and to save significant money so that it can be invested into education etc