Septembre 25, 2010
Newsletter 8
Summary Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 1
............................................................................................................................................................ 4 Meetings have been set up to assess implementation of the EURO-SOLAR programme in five departments ....................................................................................................................................... 4 ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 The field assessment committee makes its first visit to communities in Ecuador................................. 4 .................................................................................................................................................... 5 The on site assessment committee visits EURO-SOLAR programme beneficiary communities in Alta Verapaz .............................................................................................................................................. 5 ....................................................................................................................................................... 6 Honduras completa la instalación del kit EURO-SOLAR en 66 comunidades ........................................ 6 ..................................................................................................................................................... 7 Training of community managers in the operation and maintenance of the electrical and electronic equipment for the EURO-SOLAR kit ................................................................................... 7 ....................................................................................................................................................... 7 The benefits of installation of the EURO-SOLAR kits are beginning to be felt in the beneficiary communities ............................................................................................................................... 7 ................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Satellite connection to 130 rural communities ........................................................................................... 8 ................................................................................................................................................... 9 .................................................................................................................................................... 9 Visit of the Director of the EuropeAid cooperation office to beneficiary communities in Guatemala .. 9 ................................................................................................................................................... 10 Visit by representatives of the Ministry of Energy and Mining to communities of the municipal district of WASPÁM - RAAN ...................................................................................................... 10
This publication has been developed with support from European Union. Its content is the exclusive responsibility of SOCOIN, and under no circumstances should it be deemed to reflect the views of the European Union
Septembre 25, 2010
Newsletter 8
us all. JosĂŠ was a good friend to all those around him
and
a
shining
example
of
humanity,
generosity, perseverance, tolerance and discretion. He was an excellent work colleague who was dedicated one hundred percent to the project, to which he gave his all, and he was always ready to work with others and resolve any difficulties that arose. Our task now is to complete the work that JosĂŠ had undertaken with such enthusiasm and verve and to It is with great sadness that we announce the
keep alive his memory with every kit we install, with
death of our colleague JosĂŠ Dulce, Head of
every child vaccinated, with every person who is
Technical
EURO-SOLAR
finally able to connect to the rest of the world
Programme in Ecuador on 31 July, having suffered
through internet and with the lights that will be
a heart attack.
shining in 91 Ecuadorian communities thanks to his
Assistance
for
the
His death has been a tremendous blow to all his
dedication and hard work.
colleagues and friends on the EURO-SOLAR Programme, and his tragic loss has deeply affected
During
the
EURO-SOLAR
for the provisional reception of the completed
Programme's main activities were concerned with
installations. The provisional reception protocol
installing the kits and with their provisional
begins with launching of the installations in a Web
reception.
has
Application through which the whole process is
the
monitored. Having checked that all the installation
beneficiary communities and there have been
data is correct, a check up visit is planned on site
developments in terms of connectivity.
to ensure that the equipment has been fully
intensified
last
quarter,
Alongside in
this
providing
the
activity,
work
assistance
to
installed, that it is operating correctly and that the Firstly, the kit installation is well advanced in all the
community managers are sufficiently skilled and
countries
comply with the specified quality requirements.
involved
and
has
actually
been
completed in El Salvador. As a result, since May the appropriate preparations have been underway
Over recent months this checking procedure
Kit connectivity has considerably advanced, in
campaign has begun in all the countries involved,
terms of connection service as well as supply of
except for Honduras and Nicaragua. For this
equipment.
purpose a scheduled visit for ITER was arranged
agreements have been entered into to ensure
and 10% of the installations were checked and
connection services for a minimum of two years,
specialised training was given to the experts
and more extended undertakings over time have
contracted by the CNCs and Technical Assistance
been obtained
in order to check the kits in situ.
Ecuador and Peru. In addition, in the eight
Currently,
in
all
the
countries
in countries such as Bolivia,
countries, public tender procedures have been Based on a revision of the field trip reports, ITER
launched or alternatively, negotiations have been
is able to determine whether or not any errors
set up with suppliers for the direct purchase of
need resolving or whether everything is correct,
equipment for satellite connection.
and as a result it will issue an Operating Technical Acceptance Report on the basis of which the
Finally, in terms of Programme coordination and
European
the
monitoring, over the 8, 9 and 10 September a
corresponding reception certificate. At present
meeting took place in Brussels between the
almost a sixth of the installations have obtained a
European
Technical Acceptance Report, thus it is hoped that
Assistance (SOCOIN) and the external experts
in the coming months the provisional acceptance
who are to carry out a mid-term assessment in all
reception process for the kits will be complete,
the countries taking part in the Programme. This
bringing the kit installation phase to a close, and
task will be performed during September and
finalising what is considered to be one of the key
October
milestones
completed in November.
Union
of
Delegations
the
will
Programme,
issue
due
to
its
Commission,
and
the
ITER,
monitoring
report
Technical
will
be
complexity and the demanding task of coordinating all the elements involved.
Aside from the task of assessment, the meetings also addressed EURO-SOLAR progress in the 8
Secondly, with respect to reinforcing a sense of
countries participating in the projects, and future
community and sustainability, training activities for
regional coordination tasks were planned for
the community members have been stepped up, to
Central America.
facilitate their takeover of the kits, and to ensure that best use is made of their potential for development in the fields of education, health, ICTs and the productive activities for which they have been designed.
Meetings have been set up to assess implementation of the EURO-SOLAR programme in five departments
In the department of Chuquisaca, 28 communities will benefit from the Programme belonging to 16
In August this year a meeting was held at the offices of the Autonomous Government of the Department of Chuquisaca in Sucre, in order to evaluate
and
monitor
the
EURO-SOLAR
programme, and was attended by the Mayors of the beneficiary municipal districts in this Department, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Hydrocarbons, Energy and Governance. These meetings were designed to assess and monitor the Programme, and to conduct round tables with Mayors in order to address the technical and
administrative
aspects
of
Programme
implementation.
municipal districts (Azurduy, El Villar, Padilla, Sopachuy,
Villa
Serrano,
Zudáñez,
Huacaya,
Villa
Machareti,
Tomina,
Muyupampa,
Culpina, Icla, Inca Huasi, San Lucas, Tarabuco and Yamparáez).
The
Municipal
districts
the equipment is to be installed, to provide furnishings and to carry out some of the minor building work. To date, the civil work has been completed, along with set up, installation and equipping of the EUROSOLAR kits in 24 communities and training has been given to the Local Management Committee providing them with the skills needed to manage
The field assessment committee makes its first visit to communities in Ecuador Technicians from the Institute of Renewable Technology, ITER, visited 6 communities in the Province of Sucumbios, 2 in Esmeraldas and 2 in Napo, thus the “on site check ups” have begun, which is a prerequisite for obtaining Provisional Reception of the kits.
have
undertaken to build or renovate the premises where
and handle the equipment.
From 30 August to 13 September 2010,
Villa
In order to carry out the checks, Technical
and the equipment for developing the preventive
Assistance contracted 3 experts for the short
health and vaccination campaigns will begin
term who will be responsible for visiting all the
operating.
installations in the next few weeks. The When all the checks on the installations have been made and provisional reception of the kits has been completed in each community, the computer and telecommunications equipment
beneficiary
communities
are
eagerly
awaiting the start of the services to be provided at the information centres which will provide them with an effective tool for community development.
The on site assessment committee visits EURO-SOLAR programme beneficiary communities in Alta Verapaz The Technological Institute for Renewable
manual and the appropriate training materials
Energy in Tenerife, Espa単a, -ITER- visited
which will assist them in identifying and
Guatemala in July in order to inspect the
resolving faults should these occur.
EURO-SOLAR kits on site in the communities of the department of Alta Verapaz. During the visit to Guatemala and as part of the activities in the provisional reception phase, ITER trained 7 technicians, (2 from the CNC and 5 from Technical Assistance) who will be responsible for continuing inspections of the remaining installations throughout the country. During the visits, checks were made to ensure
During the visits community members were
that the full installation was in line with
wholehearted
established guidelines and characteristics and
expressed their satisfaction and enthusiasm for
correct
was
their future internet connection which was seen
confirmed. Furthermore, the visits were used to
as a great opportunity and which will enable
check that the technical managers of the
children and young people to use a computer
system were sufficiently skilled to perform their
and gain access to information from outside the
duties and that each community has a user
community
installation
and
operation
in
their
cooperation
and
Honduras completa la instalaci贸n del kit EURO-SOLAR en 66 comunidades
The AGMIN- SOLUZ Honduras consortium has completed kit installation in 66 communities and it will shortly be completing installation in the two remaining communities. So eager were the community members to ensure completion of their EURO-SOLAR kit that they were active in helping to install the heavy structures which support the solar panels. Concurrent with the work of installation and setting
up
of
the
equipment,
community
members were trained in the management and maintenance of the kits. The regional technical training provided to the Community managers of the kit in the local governments has been completed
100%,
and
the
overwhelming
attendance of all the communities on the Theoretical Skills Training Course organised regionally by the AGMIN-SOLUZ Honduras consortium was a major highlight of the programme. In addition, the CNC has recommenced its complementary training in basic computer skills in five communities, thus, to date a total of 41 communities have been trained.
In some cases, as in the community El Zurzular, in the municipal district of San Juan de Flores, in the Department of Francisco Moraz谩n, extra training was provided at the request of
the community and
collaboration of CNC.
with the
Training of community managers in the operation and maintenance of the electrical and electronic equipment for the EURO-SOLAR kit In August a training course in “Operation and maintenance
of
electrical
and
electronic
equipment for the EURO-SOLAR kit” was given to Community Managers in the Siuna district from the communities of El Hormiguero, Rosa Grande and Unión Labú. The trainers were experts from the company SUNISOLAR with backup and support from representatives of the Ministry of Energy and Mining. The course addressed numerous themes such as battery charging and other services, post sales service undertakings, energy sources, basic elements of electricity, description of the solar system and energy use and management.
Training of community managers is essential to ensure that the communities are able to take over the kits and make best use of the equipment. These managers will provide the link between the communities and the technology provided.
The benefits of installation of the EURO-SOLAR kits are beginning to be felt in the beneficiary communities A clear example of these benefits was manifested Installation of the first EURO-SOLAR kits is
during an event organised as part of the
clearly beginning to reap rewards for the
cooperation programme Al Invest IV which
beneficiary communities and their environment,
provides
not only in social terms but also in terms of
internationalising
economic benefits.
businesses in Latin America. In the closing
support
in
small
consolidating and
medium
and sized
ceremony of the event held in the community of Guajaybí in the Department of San Pedro, the
farmers
and
members
of
the
agricultural
cooperative. The availability of a fully equipped classroom with computers and a screen projector has facilitated training of a greater number of cooperative members who were able to attend their training on the spot, rather than travel long distances, which enabled them to dedicate more time to their productive activities.
President of the cooperative GuajaybĂ Unido Ltda. Agroindustrial y de servicios, one of the participants in Al Invest, drew attention to the fact that thanks to installation of the kit in the EUROSOLAR classroom of the 2da LĂnea ChachĂ community it was possible to provide training for
In the near future, once the internet connection has been installed, the cooperative members will be able to receive distance learning through virtual means, with internet conferences which will enable them to transfer knowledge and applied
technology
to
other
EURO-SOLAR
beneficiaries in other departments.
Satellite connection to 130 rural communities sales operation and maintenance service for the In the coming months, the 130 rural communities
130 rural communities which are part of the
in Peru which are part of the EURO-SOLAR
EURO-SOLAR project.
Programme shall be connected to each other through internet by means of a satellite system.
In order to provide the service, the Ministry of Education
satellite
platform
will
be
used
The satellite connection in Peru will be possible
(managed by the General Office of Educational
as a result of a contract entered into with CIME
Technologies, which is responsible for integrating
Comercial S.A. the company which was awarded
Information and Communications Technologies in
the international public tender.
the educational process, in line with international standards and educational policies). Furthermore,
The scope of the contract includes the purchase,
the Ministry of Education will provide training for
transport, installation and commissioning of the
teachers in the 130 schools which are to benefit
remote VSAT stations and related material,
from the EURO-SOLAR programme in Peru.
training services for managers, as well as post
Employment, all of which are involved in the EURO-SOLAR programme. In addition, the event was
attended
by
representatives
from
the
Department of Culture, the National Sports Institute (INDES), private businesses, NGOs and On 20 and 21 August, the first Opportunities Fair,
youth organisations.
Juventur 2010, was held for the youth of El Salvador, at the International Trade Fair and
EURO-SOLAR set up a stand at the trade fair
Conference Centre in San Salvador.
which illustrated the scope of the Programme in El Salvador. Notable among the considerable
Juventur 2010 was inaugurated by the First Lady
number of visits to the stand was that of the
of the Republic and the Secretary for Social
Deputy Minister for Science and Technology, and
Inclusion. In addition the event was attended by
the Vice President of the Republic and Minister of
various representatives from different ministries
Education, who were extremely interested in the
such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
development and progress of EURO-SOLAR in El
Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and
Salvador.
Visit of the Director of the EuropeAid cooperation office to beneficiary communities in Guatemala Mr Basile Papadopoulos, Director of the EuropeAid Cooperation Office visited Guatemala in order to monitor and follow up execution of the Programme. Accompanied by the European Union representative in Guatemala, Mr. Rafael Señan, he held meetings with high ranking government authorities, in particular the Ministries involved in the Programme. They also visited EURO-SOLAR beneficiary communities in the department of Petén including
Nueva
Concepción,
Caserío Nuevas Delicias.
Nueva
Guatemala
and
Visit by representatives of the Ministry of Energy and Mining to communities of the municipal district of WASPÁM - RAAN In mid –August representatives of the Ministry of
The purpose of the visit was to inform local
Energy and Mining visited three EURO-SOLAR
authorities of the programme’s progress and the
communities, San Jerónimo, Santa Fe and La
activities
Esperanza in the municipal district of Waspám,
equipment
RAAN.
Furthermore,
The visit was led by Lorena Lanza, Vice minister
Ministry made the most of their visit to see how
for Energy and Mining who was accompanied by
the resources provided for the programme are
several dignitaries including Iván Cortes, Director
being managed and to encourage the creation of
General of Electricity and Renewable Energies,
awareness in the beneficiary communities of care
Martha Rosa García, Vice Minister of the Tax and
for the equipment and the need to set up a
Public Credit Office, Martha Zamora, Mayoress of
savings fund.
Waspám and Herminia Martínez, Head of the Programme’s Technical Assistance.
of
the and
installation the
phase
satellite
representatives
from
of
the
installation. the
Tax