ENERGY GLOBE
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

WINNER:
Richmond Vale Academy

With the Project:
Richmond Vale Academy’s Energy Compliance Project

Richmond Vale Academy’s (RVA) main aim is to deliver environmental and climate risk reduction strategies on small islands. RVA works with the local, national and international communities to identify and apply practical solutions to mitigate the effects of environmental, social and economic challenges that islanders face. In this context, RVA acts as the testing ground for the local community to be able to actively see new environmentally friendly, energy-saving technologies and agricultural techniques in practice and learn about them.

INITIAL SITUATION

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is vulnerable to all major types of natural hazards. The islands’ geographic location makes it particularly susceptible to floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. As a result of these challenges, Richmond Vale Academy took decisive action to launch the St. Vincent Climate Compliance Conference from 2012 – 2021. The aim of the conference is to bring people together to identify and undertake concrete climate change adaptation projects.

SOLUTION

The overall objective for RVA’s energy compliance project is to be 90% self-sustainable in the production and use of renewable energy by 2021. Richmond Vale Academy consists of three buildings on a property of thirty acres of land. The academy installed an off-grid PV system consisting of 72 PV panels producing a total of 18 kWh that can be stored in 120 batteries with a total capacity of 156 kWh. To be able to fully charge the batteries for longer, RVA upgraded its energy system to 48 more solar panels producing 13 kWh.

INNOVATION

RVA has an off-grid photovoltaic solar system in order to be self-sufficient at all times and to remain operational in the event of a central system electricity failure due to climate change-related or other disasters. The academy can produce 70 kWh energy and it uses about 60 kWh per day on lighting, pumping water and to keep food refrigerated. In addition, a 17.5 kW system has been installed with 70 solar panels and battery storage of 120 batteries which can hold about 156 kWh of energy. This means that the system can produce 17.5 kW per hour when the sun shines with all of its power for one hour.

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WINNERS 2022

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OUR PARTNERS

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