La Gracia Village in the Cayo District is remote, so much so that you would say, it's off the grid. But, in this case, that would be a literal meaning because La Gracia is also off the electrical grid. And that's why the village - which is due east of Valley of Peace was designated as a pilot site for what's called a "Photo Voltaic Smart Grid". It's basically a solar power system but this one gets the Smart designation because of its ability to harness, store and distribute power to an entire community, making sure that they constantly get 120 volts in their homes - just like regular folks who are supplied by BEL.
The three quarter million dollar system was opened yesterday afternoon with all parties noting the change in the quality of life and education it will bring to the village:
H.E. Peter Hughes - British High Commissioner
"This project will bring us sustainable supply of electricity to this village for the first time and well in advance of the grid when the grid will reach this area. Secondly, the electricity will be generated totally from a renewable source, the sun."
Hon. Frank Mena - Minister of Energy
"Harnessing the power of the sun and using the energy as a spring board. A spring board for agriculture, a spring board for education, for health and of course for prosperity."
Hon. Rene Montero - Cayo Central Area Rep.
"This 24 kilowatt system is therefore, exactly what your village needs to ensure that you can continue on the road of progress and prosperity."
H.E. Peter Hughes - British High Commissioner
"It is my view that this project will change the lives of every man, woman and child in La Gracia. It will provide opportunities for the village to develop and grow and for every person to have the chance to expand their horizons and achieve goals they could not think of before. It is incredibly to think that basic human right of access to information with so many living in cities and large towns enjoy every day, will now be a right for every villager in La Gracia. Just think about what the project will do for the potential of this village and all of you in front of me here. You may not realize it but the futures will be better and also more challenging because access to electricity brings so many benefits."
There are about 45 households in La Gracia. The contractor SESB will monitor and calibrate the system remotely. The monitoring will also provide data for best practices on system design, implementation, and administration so that it can be implemented in other remote areas.
The system was funded to the tune of 700 thousand Belize dollars with support from the Swiss, British and Belize Governments, along with the PUC.
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