Climate Center

The Climate Center Impact

120 Solar Panels installed to collect renewable energy
70 kwh of energy produced per day
6 Solar water heaters installed for kitchen and bathroom water
4 1000-gallon water tanks assembled to collect rainwater for the facility

Solar panels

To be self-sufficient, we installed an off-grid photovoltaic solar system that will work in the event of a central system electricity failure. Because our system is 100% off the grid, we are less susceptible to power loss due to climate change or other natural disasters.

With over 120 solar panels that can make up to 70kw per day and a battery bank that can hold 56kwh, we are supplied with power even when the sun is down or cloud-covered. We have four inverters/chargers, which control the charging/discharging of the batteries converting the electricity from DC to AC current to be used in the outlets and lights in all the living spaces at the Academy.

At the workshops, which are detached from the rest of the buildings, we have a separate solar installation. This is connected to the grid and helps supply renewable energy to the rest of the island. This is a 50kw power system consisting of 180 solar panels and a big inverter. All electricity from this installation goes to the grid and the electricity used in the workshops also comes from the grid. Aiming to be self-sufficient with solar energy

Solar Water Heaters

Water heating accounts for up to 25% of the energy used in a typical Caribbean household. And while it would make energy more affordable, less than 3% of energy in the Caribbean comes from renewable sources. The main obstacle originally preventing us and likewise, many people from converting to renewable energy, is financing.

However, we partnered with a company here in Saint Vincent that gives households and companies credits, making it economically viable to invest in solar water heaters. Thus helping to reduce individual energy bills and the country’s overall carbon footprint.

Our 6 solar water heaters supply hot water to our kitchen and most bathrooms. The solar water heater works by taking room-temperature water and heating it as it flows through the collector. Hot water is then drawn on demand from the tank straight to our kitchen and showers.

Biogas

Biogas is distinct from other renewable energy sources because of its characteristics of using, controlling, and collecting organic waste while producing fertilizer as a by-product. Biogas does not have any geographical limitations, nor does it require advanced technology for producing energy. It is also simple to use and apply.

Much of Saint Vincent is dependent on harmful fossil fuels like LPG gas for cooking. While a large amount of kitchen waste is disposed of in landfills or discarded into the environment. But here at Richmond Vale Academy, we set up a small biogas digester that can produce Biogas from kitchen waste. Kitchen waste is organic matter that has a high calorific and nutritive property, which is valuable for microbes converting the kitchen waste into methane.

The way the system works is you apply 1.5 kilos of kitchen waste with 15 liters of water into a digester where the organic matter is decomposed in an anaerobic process that produces 5 hours of methane gas, which can be used for cooking. A by-product is a liquid fertilizer, excellent for use in home gardens and ecological farming.

Ecological Model Farm

St Vincent relies heavily on agriculture for rural livelihood and development. However, local agricultural systems are affected by land degradation and climate change, which threaten food production. Furthermore, globalization has forced control of the nation’s agricultural production onto foreign food corporations. Currently, the country imports over USD 40 million worth of food per year to feed to feed the local population.

To improve our farm and make it sustainable we carried out extensive research in St Vincent and the research showed that: Local communities need to see the
implementation of new farming techniques to adopt them. Many health, social, environmental, and economic benefits of buying and eating local produce are currently being overseen by locals.

To relearn and share more sustainable ways of life, students and teachers investigated activities in several farms around Saint Vincent. We also started testing and implementing many sustainable actions. The key outcome of this extensive research and practical actions included dividing the farm into different sections:

• Intensive vegetable garden
• Herb Garden
• Forest Garden
• Commercial passion fruit fields
• Pastures for sheep, horses, and chicken
• Pens for pigs

Our climate center farm currently produces over 29,000 meals per year

Water harvesting

Rainwater
From showers to toilets, the water the faculty needs is collected in four 1000-gallon water tanks. We also have an irrigation system that collects water from the roofs of the Academy and stores it in a 150.000-liter capacity pool. We keep a few million guppies and tilapia in the pool to control mosquito breeding. And we use the water in our onsite garden.

Greywater
In collaboration with the faculty of Environmental Engineering of the Colombian university Manuela Beltran, we built a greywater system to collect and recycle water from showers and washing machines. We plan to further use this system to water crops in the future.

Coastal Preservation

Here at Richmond Vale Academy, we’re in the cleanup business. Since the day we opened our doors, preserving the coastline through tree planting and trash pickup has been part of our mission.

With the help of other local organizations, over thirty tons of garbage have been collected and removed in the last decade. These cleanups have even led to recycling rallies where over 40,000 bottles were recycled. Along with the clean-ups numerous lessons were taught in schools and community groups about the hazards of pollution.

Stories From The Climate Center

VIDEO