From Berkeley to Bluefields and Back: Cal Energy Corps Student Symposium

By Kate Graham --blueEnergy is known for going to the edge, working where others won’t to provide energy access, clean water and sanitation solutions to those living along the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. But, who are these individuals choosing to cross borders and spend their time working on the periphery, navigating an area lacking roads, modern equipment, tools, and power? Many are participants in blueEnergy’s Global Leadership Program, a program geared to provide the next generation with the opportunity to witness and respond to the needs of the most isolated poor.

bE co-founder Mathias Craig speaking at the symposium

This past summer three Cal Energy Corp students, Casey Finnerty, Mauricio Castillo and Jonathan Lee traveled to Nicaragua to participate in blueEnergy’s Global Leadership Program. The Cal Energy Corps is an undergraduate internship program created to engage the best and brightest students from UC Berkeley in the design, development, and delivery of sustainable energy and climate solutions across the world. Through Cal Energy Corps student research efforts, blueEnergy is able to test and pilot new solutions that have the potential to become services providing great value to blueEnergy’s beneficiaries.

Superstars! Casey, Mauricio, Jonathan

Casey, Mauricio, and Jonathan spent 9 weeks with blueEnergy (details from their time in the field is documented here and here) and arriving back at Berkeley were given the opportunity to present projects and blueEnergy experiences at the Cal Energy Corps Symposium. As they stood beside posters highlighting their work, each student spoke about the challenges associated with project implementation in rural coastal communities and the best practices that emerged after weeks of researching and testing.

Well rounded audience

The Symposium continued with a welcome by Dr. Graham Fleming, Berkeley’s Vice Chancellor for Research. Dr. Fleming mentioned blueEnergy as a key Cal Energy Corps partner committed to providing meaningful experiences for students. Dr. Arun Majumdar, former professor of materials science and engineering at Berkeley and expert in transformational energy research and development, spoke to the audience in a key-note address about sustainable energy access as a human rights issue and encouraged Cal Energy Corps students to continue a path focused on global solutions.

Jonathan Lee: “Improving Longevity of Small Off- Grid Solar Photovoltaic Installations"

The symposium ended with a panel discussion, which included Mathias Craig, blueEnergy Founder and Executive Director. Mathias mentioned his summer visit to Nicaragua, where he witnessed Casey, Mauricio, and Jonathan working on the beginning stages of their projects – identifying beneficiaries, creating schematics, strategizing with blueEnergy technicians. Mathias also noted how well the students integrated into the culture and community of Bluefields. He praised Cal Energy Corps and called on Dr. Fleming to “send more students to Bluefields.”

"Send more students to Bluefields!"

blueEnergy is thankful for the ongoing relationship with Cal Energy Corps and appreciates following and supporting the progression and growth in projects and students from Berkeley to Bluefields and back. blueEnergy believes that through facilitating opportunities at the edge, in places far off the radar, stronger, more capable leaders, like Casey, Mauricio, and Jonathan will emerge, with the capacity and drive to create a more equitable, sustainable world.

(L to R) Tiff Dressen (New Initiatives Manger: Vice Chancellor for Research),
Casey Finnerty, Mauricio Castillo, Jonathan Lee, Mathias Craig, Kate Graham

For more information about blueEnergy’s Global Leadership Program and opportunities to work with blueEnergy in Bluefields, Nicaragua, please e-mail US Development Officer, Kate Graham at: kate.graham@blueenergygroup.org.

Check out our Picasa album for more photos!

Cal Energy Corps interns field-test smart solutions

From the UC Berkeley News Center:

Recently returned from summer sojourns, 32 UC Berkeley undergraduates shared experiences and adventures interning on myriad sustainability projects around the world during the second annual Cal Energy Corps symposium at the David Brower Center Thursday.

Launched in 2011, the Cal Energy Corps provides undergraduates with practical research and experiential-learning opportunities through internships with partner organizations across the academic, corporate and nonprofit sectors. Modeled on the U.S. Peace Corps, the program aims to engage Berkeley students tackling alternative energy, climate change and sustainability issues around the world.

Mauricio Castillo, a senior majoring in conservation and resource studies, interned in Nicaragua with blueEnergy, a sustainable-development nonprofit co-founded in 2003 by Berkeley alumnus Mathias Craig. “Working so closely with the blueEnergy team, I gained a real insight into rewards of development work and the challenges of running an NGO,” said Castillo, whose family comes from Nicaragua. Read the whole article at UC Berkeley News Center

Mauricio Castillo was on hand to talk about his internship with
blueEnergy in Nicaragua. (Roibín Ó hÉochaidh photo)

Cal Energy Corps students research and implement alongside blueEnergy

By Casey Callais -- blueEnergy was privileged to have three students from the UC Berkeley's Cal Energy Corps working with blueEnergy for nine weeks this summer.

Johnathan Lee, Casey Finnerty and Mauricio Castillo spent their time researching, teaching, building and installing alongside blueEnergy volunteers and staff. They kept journals of their experiences, which are well worth a read:

Overall, I have really enjoyed getting the practical experience of actually building and installing solar systems, and I am looking forward to doing a larger system on Rama Cay. The experience of planning and budgeting a project has also been very valuable and interesting, and I feel like the entire experience is complementing the more theoretical education I received at Berkeley. On top of all of that, it has been a fantastic cultural experience living in Bluefields and learning about how they use energy here, what energy development means to the communities, and what kind of impact energy development can have on their lives.

Read more about how Johnathan Lee installs, teaches and builds databases with bE energy team.

blueEnergy’s approach to implementation is based on “participatory methodologies to understand the needs, desires, and capabilities of the beneficiary communities.” An excellent example of this approach is their current water filtration project. Roughly 75% of the population along the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua does not have adequate access to clean water. In response, blueEnergy has undertaken many projects to promote healthy living practices and make clean water more accessible. To help ensure the sustainability of this project, blueEnergy has the beneficiaries attend workshops on the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene. blueEnergy also helps community members construct their own filters and perform follow-up visits to all participating families.

Casey Finnerty talks more about his experiences working with the water and sanitation team

 After interviewing several potential beneficiaries I have chosen to build a stove for a family of 5 nearby the blueEnergy office. This family cooks solely with wood, which they collect themselves from a nearby forest that is a 30 minutes away. The mother cooks in an enclosed space on a traditional cook stove which consists of the pot being placed over three stones with the firewood placed underneath. These traditional cook stoves require a lot of wood because the heat generated is not concentrated and escapes around the sides of the pot. The mother expressed concern about the smoke inhalation because her young children are always nearby and often times there is enough smoke produced to cause discomfort while she is cooking.The stove will heat two pots at once, though there will be reduced smoke emissions, l will also construct a chimney to channel smoke up and out of the kitchen. I have enjoyed the design and building process and look forward to seeing my project come to fruition.

Check out Mauricio Castillo's time working on building a more efficient cookstove

Johnathon Lee Shows how to wire a solar panel in Rocky Point

To learn how you can be like Johnathon, Casey, and Mauricio and make a difference in the lives of those living along the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, check out blueEnergy's Service Learning Internship Program.