Collaboration and diversity of skills contributes to sustainability and connectivity
Thanks to 21 NAIT students, five instructors, a machinist expert, and the dedication of a Calgary-based non-profit, a small community in the Peruvian Andes now has sustainable electricity and wireless internet.
In May, Light Up the World, which works in more than 50 countries to improve energy access, selected Santa Rosa as the latest beneficiary of its ongoing partnership with NAIT. Since 2017, the organizations have worked together on eight projects. This marks the largest yet, with the installation of 3,300 watts of generating capacity by solar photovoltaic modules to power a school and a community centre.
Here’s a look at how the project happened, why NAIT was involved, and the mutual impact on the people of Santa Rosa and students from the polytechnic.
What types of jobs do Alternative Energy Technology grads get?
A diversity of skills
While the program was spearheaded by Alternative Energy Technology instructor Doug McFarlane, participation is open to students from across NAIT. Each must take a 15-week course in intercultural competency and communication, international project management and risk identification and mitigation. They also learned skills required for the installation, as well as lessons in basic Spanish.
The work order
Over roughly two weeks, two teams completed the installation of off-grid solar photovoltaic and wireless internet systems. The work included
- Nine 370-watt roof-mounted solar modules
- An electrical box
- Two 5.12-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery storage systems
- Wiring for light fixtures and electrical outlets
- Starlink satellite internet system and wireless internet access points
A cultural exchange
Brett Landry (Human Resources ’21, Bachelor of Business Administration ’24) sees the eagle and the condor prophecy playing out in what he helped to accomplish in Santa Rosa, a home of the Quechua people, one of the Indigenous peoples of Peru.
In Indigenous cultures, Landry says, there is a belief that those of the Northern Hemisphere, represented by the eagle, will be reunited with those of the Southern, represented by the condor, helping them to combine their efforts as stewards of the environment.
“That was kind of echoed in this project – how we’re coming together to take care of the land again,” says Landry, originally from Okanese First Nation, in Saskatchewan.
The work aligned with his personal values as well, he adds. “I want something that's sustainable for my children and my grandchildren and my great grandchildren.”
"We’re coming together to take care of the land again.”
During his time in Santa Rosa, Landry’s efforts went primarily toward two objectives. One was wiring buildings to connect to the rooftop solar photovoltaic system, a skill he learned on site. The other saw him put his NAIT education to work developing business model options for the community to support not just environmental sustainability but financial, as the costs of maintaining the Starlink system now fall to Santa Rosa.
Given his experiences with community members, Landry sees the project as an exchange. He’s grateful to have had the chance “to leave Turtle Island” and share his culture with people in whom he saw aspects of it reflected. He discovered parallels in beliefs and customs, as well as a common appreciation for the land.
As a result, Landry made connections beyond that between a solar panel and a light switch. “They brought me into their homes,” he says of people from Santa Rosa who told him about their lives in Peru. Now that Landry is back, he looks forward to those friendships continuing, thanks in large part to the technology he helped to install.
Customized equipment
Before the team left NAIT, Machinist associate chair Eric Beyer (Machinist ’15, left) fabricated specialized hardware to secure energy systems installed in Peru.
Funding the experience
In 2021, NAIT received a Global Skills Opportunity grant of $462,608.08 to fund projects like the installation in Santa Rosa. Global Skills Opportunity is funded by Employment and Social Development Canada, administered jointly by Colleges and Institutes Canada and Universities Canada.
The funding supports four years of student international projects at NAIT. The 2023-24 academic year was the third.
The impact on Santa Rosa
Approximately 20 students in Santa Rosa’s school now have the benefit of electric lighting and power for devices used for learning. A community centre was also wired and electrified as part of the project.
In addition, the school, community centre and community health facility were all connected to the newly installed wireless internet system. The internet connection also allows for remote monitoring of the integrity of the systems installed at Santa Rosa.
“We know that the electrical system and internet continue to operate as expected with no issues,” says McFarlane, who helped lead the installation of the solar modules and wiring of the community centre.
Cheyenna Harden is an Alternative Energy Technology student and a forward with the women’s Ooks hockey team. Read more about her experience in Santa Rosa
Banner image of Alternative Energy Technology student Eric Benoit by Doug McFarlane