Since 2010, Haiti has been struggling to recover from the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck on January 12. A part of the country’s rehabilitation is the construction of the Mirebalais Hospital, a soon to be finished 320-bed hospital, which is stated to offer a new level of care not previously available at a public facility. The hospital’s roof is being outfitted with 1,800 solar panels.
It is expected that based on current energy prices in Haiti, the panels will pay for themselves in less than three years. This solar installation is one of several in the country that was made possible through a partnership with Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF). Once the system is completed and running, the public will be able to track the production of solar power for the project’s 25-year lifespan.
Partners in Health co-founder Paul Farmer said, “You can't do this without electricity. Because you're not going to have an operating room. You're not going to have a laboratory. You're not going to see people at night… So it's one of two things – either generate your own electricity with a diesel generator or go solar.”
