An Ohio State University student group, The American Solar Energy Society, initiated a sustainable project for a community and school in Haiti after members had learned that one of Haiti's largest problems is the lack of electricity --- specifically for lighting. In 2012, the group added electricity and lighting to a small school in Haiti by installing a complete solar powered energy system.

This year, the student group chose to go back to Haiti to another village with eleven student engineers to help install solar panels on a small rural village community center in Germain.

The Ohio State engineers and the Haitian Empowerment Project's philosophy involves working with the local Haitian's through dialogue in order to empower the people to develop through their own ideas and skill sets.

The philosophy of this program is similar to the popular phrase, "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach him how to fish, he feeds his community for years." The student group implemented their philosophy into every aspect of the project by teaching some of the villagers how to mount the solar panels to the roof.

To prepare for the project the group sought sponsorship support from key manufacturers of solar system components. When the team contacted Stahlin Non-Metallic Enclosures, the company immediately committed to contribute three J1614HW enclosures to house the solar panel controls.

Stahlin had suggested the J Series product line for this project because it is a versatile industrial enclosure with varied applications for use with high-end electronics like those found on solar system installations. Plus, the J Series rugged design, in combination of over sixty plus year's experience, has proven to hold extreme reliability in tough environments and would surely stand up to the demands for this Haitian solar power system.

With support from Stahlin and other donations, the OSU engineering students were able to teach the local Haitians how to wire the entire circuit with switches, junction boxes and outlets for the entire solar system.

After the solar system was installed the school and community, villagers were able to charge cell phones (see below) and provide power for a small TV. Also below is a photo of a large community group huddled around the TV watching a Madrid soccer game.

The people of Haiti have undergone many hardships throughout the years and it is why the Haiti Empowerment Project was originally created. The project brings the intellectual and material resources of Ohio State University (OSU) together with Haitian counterparts to assist in the development and implementation of a culturally relevant project.

To learn how to get involved with the project go here.