Tag: abaco

Central Abaco Primary school
Tech

Abaco Schools Solar Project Named ‘Best Resilience Project’ in the Caribbean

In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, the northern Bahamas was flattened, demolished, and would be forever associated with the deadliest natural disaster in Bahamian history. On Thursday, however, at the 15th Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF) Abaco was recognized for its resiliency through its recent solar and storage projects.

With 185mph maximum sustained winds, Hurricane Dorian left 2,500 people missing & thousands more displaced. “Rebuild stronger and better” was the motto adopted by Bahamians, government agencies, and non-profits from around the world. Among them were the Rotary Bahamas Disaster Relief and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, which funded the solarization of three Abaco schools—Man-O-War Cay Primary, Great Guana Cay Primary, and Central Abaco Primary Schools.

With solar panels that can withstand +185mph winds, each school features battery storage, each school functions as a hurricane shelter.

Compass Power, a Bahamian-owned EPC contractor, managed the Abaco projects. According to Compass Power principal, Justin Cunningham, “Our goal was to make Abaco more resilient and reliant on its natural resources. Using the world’s leading technology and long-standing solar equipment, these schools are not only self-efficient but now serve as hurricane shelters for their communities.”

At CREF in Miami, Florida, the project received the 2023 Best Energy Resilience Project award, an honor reserved for leaders in the Caribbean energy sector that oversaw a clean energy project with outstanding resilience this year. The Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, Vaughn Miller; Permanent Secretary, Phedra Rahming-Turnquest; and the Director of the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection, Dr. Rhianna Neely accepted the award.

“The Abaco schools solar and storage project represents a further step in The Bahamas’ continued commitment to rebuild stronger and cleaner, and provide equitable access to reliable energy,” said Dr. Neely.

“The successful implementation of the Abaco school solar and storage project demonstrates how collaborative efforts between the government, donors, private sector entities, and NGOs can lead to truly transformative outcomes that benefit communities in need,” said Fidel Neverson, technical manager with RMI’s Islands Energy Program, a part of a global non-profit, independent organization focused on accelerating the clean energy transition.

The project’s official commissioning will be held in the Abacos in the coming weeks.

Politics

Family of Five Gets New Beginning

“She was one of the most dangerous hurricanes I’d ever seen in 57 years,” said new homeowner, Esther-Ann Cornish-Laing, after being displaced by Hurricane Dorian some two years ago.

Tucked away in Blackwood, Abaco, Esther-Ann’s generational home, like thousands of others in Abaco, was swept away by a towering surge in September 2019 during a tormenting Category 5 hurricane.

She, and her family of five, are the first of 100 homeowners in The Bahamas to receive a new home, affectionately dubbed the ‘Bahama House.’ These homes will be donated to families, who lost their homes due to Hurricane Dorian. Cornish-Laing’s 1,250 sq. ft. home is wind tested to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. It was built on the original grounds of her childhood home, where her brothers are her neighbors.

“This is amazing,” said Cornish-Laing about her new home, which was donated by the Beck Foundation, the charitable branch of The Beck Group.

According to Beck Group CEO, Fred Perpall, a Bahamian, he took the hurricane relief efforts personally.

“Like many Bahamians (living) abroad, my heart sank when I saw the events of Dorian. We were not only concerned, but we cared deeply,” Perpall said. “We wanted to help, and we knew that help would be needed most long after the storm had passed… to truly restore a community takes a lot of effort long after the storm has passed.”

The Beck Group partnered with The Bahamas Government, with the assistance of U.S.-based and Bahamian companies, to build and then transport the prefabricated, cost-effective home to Abaco. About 80 percent of the construction was completed in an assembly line process in a warehouse in Dallas, Texas. It was transported from West Palm Beach to New Providence,  then to Abaco, and later installed by Bahamian laborers.

It was important to provide employment for Bahamians while gifting the Laing family with a home, said Mark House, Special Projects Director at The Beck Group.

“We purposely did not want to fully complete the house, because, on the other end, there is an economic aspect of it. We want to be able to provide employment for folks,” House said. “So, now we’re creating jobs with a great return.”

Despite setbacks associated with COVID-19, The Beck Group and The Bahamas Government are confident to houses to more deserving families this year—1 down, 99 houses to go.