Jeff, Sigora, HADPRE & Haiti
When you look at the main image for this blog post, you see the stereotypical vision of a Caribbean island, azure blue waters, puffy white clouds, and the waves lapping up on the shore. Looking at this picture alone, probably makes you want to grab a beach chair, a boat drink, and lounge in the sun. What you don’t see in this picture is the extensive ongoing rebuilding efforts in Haiti since it was hit by a series of devastating earthquakes in 2010.
In August [2019], Diversified Energy’s owner, Jeff Haag was invited by Diversified Energy Solar Partner, Sigora Solar, to come to visit their operations in Haiti. Jeff went to Haiti to see first-hand the work Sigora Haiti, and HADPRE, Sigora’s non-profit organization, are doing to help rebuild Haiti and bring reliable electrical services.
To say that what Jeff saw in Haiti left him simultaneously stunned and incredibly optimistic is an understatement.
A few quotes from Jeff upon his return:
“It amazed me to see how much work still needs to be done to rebuild. While at the same time, so many good folks from Sigora Haiti and HADPRE working so hard to bring desperately needed, reliable electricity to Haitians that have been living without for so many years.”
“The natural beauty of Haiti and the warm, welcoming Haitians truly touched my heart and soul.”
“The work that HADPRE is doing is something Diversified Energy can totally support. These folks are truly doing incredible work under the most difficult of circumstances.”
Here are a few of the “touristy” pictures from Jeff’s trip…
Sigora Haiti – Reliable Electrical Service
Sigora Haiti is making history in Haiti by building their grid from scratch, with a dedication to providing clean, reliable, and affordable power for their customers. Sigora is building what are knows as “hybrid grids” that incorporate solar and wind power into traditional generation methods to deliver reliable electrical service while reducing emissions.
Sigora also refers to their electrical grids as “microgrids,” because using their “microgrid” model, they can quickly and efficiently design and deploy new electrical service and get customers online fast.
From the Sigora Haiti website:
Our mission is to power and empower communities in Haiti with clean, reliable, and fairly- priced energy. Our financeable micro-utility model scales electrification faster, cheaper, and more effectively than existing solutions. Our complete energy management system incorporates smart metering hardware, revenue and demand management software, remote monitoring capabilities, prepaid (PAYG) mobile payments, and integrated anti-theft capabilities, all engineered for frontier markets. The result is reduced connection costs, 100% bill collection, and more efficient energy management.
Sigora is delivering one of the most reliable and affordable electrical grid solutions in Haiti and has ongoing expansion plans. For more information about Sigora Haiti, please take some time to read through their website.
HADPRE – Sigora’s Non-Profit Powerhouse
HADPRE is the acronym for The Hummingbird Academy for Disaster Preparedness & Renewable Energies. HADPRE specializes in education about renewable energies, disaster preparedness, and economic and social development.
HADPRE is the non-profit [503] charity for Sigora Haiti. Where Sigora Haiti focuses on commercial electrical services, HADPRE focuses on the community aspects of electrification. They are working to bring reliable electrical service to schools, health centers, street lights, and much more. The work HADPRE is doing is making positive changes everywhere they get involved.
From The HADPRE Website:
HADPRE came into existence as a result of merging individual efforts of each one of our members and the philanthropic work of Sigora Haiti into one united organization tackling similar problems related to access to education and future perspectives for people in Haiti. Each of us is passionate about moving the country forward and had been engaged in various projects, individually and mostly privately funded before. To work in synergy, more effectively, and to gain more visibility, we created HADPRE as an umbrella organization to work towards our common goals. We firmly believe that access to electricity paths the way to access for better education and leads to a brighter future, life choices opportunities that many people in Haiti still lack. If combined with the right tools it opens the world, it broadens horizons and it gives a chance to pursue your dreams and change your life.
– Sonja Schilling, Managing Director HADPRE
For more information about HADPRE and to make a donation, please visit their website.
Wrapping It Up
When it comes to the ongoing relief and rebuiding efforts in Haiti, there is still a long road to travel. Now that most of the high-profile charities initially involved in Haiti have moved on to other disasters, there is still a desperate need for dedicated businesses and charities to keep the rebuilding efforts moving forward.
Businesses like Sigora Haiti, which is essentially building a new power grid from scratch, and their associated non-profit charity, HADPRE are dedicated to help rebuild Haiti and improve the lives of Haitians. If you would like more information about HADPRE, please take a look at their website, and certainly consider making a generous donation. You can choose the focus of your HADPRE donation between Electrification & Empowerment, Education & Professional Training, or Disaster Preparedness & Response.
Diversified Energy is very proud to have partners like Sigora that are making a difference not only in the US, but around the world.
For more information about Diversified Energy, Partnering with Diversified Energy, and overall home performance, contact us today – 504-273-7779 – [email protected].
