Solar, Solar, Solar

All Nick has thought and talked about for the past several months is solar panels.  We came to COTP for two weeks last January and Nick learned that COTP might be interested in going this route.  For a few months before we moved down here, Nick casually began researching solar panels.  Maybe two months after moving here, with way more knowledge on COTP's electrical system, Nick wrote an official proposal for the board asking that we move in this direction.  We were all some what surprised and excited when we were approved to begin fundraising in order to purchase them.

For Nick this meant he needed to do way more research!  Solar panels have taken up a majority of his time over the past few months.  Any time I ask him what he's thinking, his response is in some way related to this project.  He is constantly thinking about where we should mount them, where we should order them from, when we should install them, and so many more logistical things that are way over my head!

Several times over the past few months, Nick has come up to me with a giant smile on his face stating things like, "I just got a quote from a new company for $1500 less AND they are better panels!" or "I just found someone to donate all the mounting brackets which will save us $2000."  And there were so many more great accomplishments he has made!  The budget for this project has changed so many times because Nick keeps making new contacts that some how end up saving us money!  Nick now has contacts all over the globe who can help us with solar!

It took a while to get started, but once it did all the money came in to completely fund this project!  Nick placed the order for the panels and all the accessories a few weeks ago and they arrived in Florida two days ago.  We now have a team of electricians there who will pack it all up and take it to the container to be shipped to Haiti.  That same team will be coming down to Haiti in April and will be installing them on top of our roof!  We have had one team here already, and will have another in March who are helping do all the prep work for this project.  The have/will be building a staircase to the roof, a room to store the inverters in, and digging trenches for all of the wiring!

Nick has spent countless hours working and communicating with this team of electricians going over ever detail of the project so that they are well prepared before they come down.  He has taken pictures from every angle of our compound to show them exactly what things look like and what we need.  He even drew them a few diagrams of the compound, which entertained me because Nick isn't the most artistic person in the world, but hey, they worked!

Everyone at COTP is so excited to see this project running as smoothly as it is.  We are all excited that this will save us a lot of money in the future as it only has a 3 year pay off period!  This means more money available for our babies rather than spent on diesel.  But more than anything, I'm excited to have my husband back!  I'm excited that I don't have to wake up at 2 in the morning and realize that he's not laying in bed next to me because he's sitting at the computer researching solar panels or sending out emails!  I'm excited that he won't be hanging out on the roof anymore calling company after company to get quotes!  Or spending hour after hour figuring out every detail of this project!  I'm excited that he will have one giant thing crossed off of his plate and will be able to spend more quality time with Eventz and I.  That is until the next project he decides to head up!

I am so proud of my Husband for all the hard work that he has put into this project and that he took a dream of so many people at COTP and worked his butt off to help it become a reality!  This is one thing that will help COTP become more self sustaining and is a huge step for us!

Thanks so much to everyone who has helped work on this project.  There were so many people and groups who did fundraisers or sent in money to help purchase our panels.  Several companies donated materials which helped the overall budget.  And once again thanks to all those who will help prep and install the panels!  Watching this project come together has been a blessing to see how God provides for us!