The mission of Grupo Fenix is to contribute to the wellbeing of rural communities in Nicaragua, creating an awareness of sustainable lifestyles through technical and cultural exchange, promotion, and research in the field of renewable energy. Grupo Fenix began in 1996 as a program of Proyecto de Fuentes Alternas de Energia (PFAE), a renewable energy group located at the National Engineering University (UNI) in Managua, Nicaragua.
Salud del Sol is collaboring with Grupo Fenix to enable the Las Mujeres Solares de Totogalpa to be successful in the solar autoclave joint venture.
Fenix Totogalpa
c/o Marco Antonio Perez
Apartado #30
Ocotal, Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua
The small rural community of Sabana Grande, Totogalpa is becoming a model for the research, production and promotion of renewable energy technologies and sustainable living in Nicaragua. If you drive by their newly built adobe center, located about 15km south of Ocotal on the main highway, you will see a sea of blue boxes with shiny lids (solar cookers), solar dryers, a solar water pump and of course solar panels that are all generating energy using one of the most abundant natural resources…the sun! The organization behind this exciting set of projects is Grupo Fenix, which is Nicaraguan-based and maintains the central office in the National Engineering University (UNI) in Managua.
Grupo Fenix’s primary goal is to research, develop and apply appropriate, renewable energy technologies in Nicaragua and works with Salud del Sol to fulfill the following objectives:
- To conduct practical research into appropriate energy technologies
- To integrate the research into the community to support local responsibility for projects
- To increase the technical skill level and employability of local people
- To improve health and living standards of families and communities
Grupo Fenix has supported the development of an on-site research team for the development of the Solar Autoclave. Through out Fall 2008 a team of Chemical Engineers from the UNI will research two product designs of the autoclave as an undergraduate thesis. This research will be conducted alongside of the product research of Salud del Sol within the University of Dayton School of Engineering Design Clinic. Communication between the two research teams will be supported by Grupo Fenix.
Projects are funded through the offering of various hand-on workshops and courses on renewable energy to national and international students, professors, engineers, solar enthusiasts, development workers and just about anyone interested in the work Grupo Fenix is doing. The Solar Culture Course held in January and July allows participants the unique opportunity to live and learn in Sabana Grande while working alongside local community members as well as spending a few days exploring Nicaragua.
Another integral part of the organization is the volunteer program. Over the years Grupo Fenix has had the pleasure of working with a variety of hearty, energetic volunteers and is intent on continuing this tradition. The program provides the opportunity for people to learn a great deal about renewable energy, sustainable development work, and Nicaraguan culture. Volunteers have the opportunity to enjoy short and longterm stays in the community working on a wide range of projects. Grupo Fenix matches volunteers’ interests and skills with current organizational needs. Grupo Fenix provides culture immersion support for volunteers through the coordination of home stays within Sabana Grande as well as the arrangement of language courses through a local Spanish lanugage school.
In the year 1996, in response to a crippling energy deficit and high levels of unemployment in Nicaragua, a group of enthusiastic engineering students at the UNI and Professor Susan Kinne began working with the theme of renewable energy. After choosing the name Grupo Fénix, receiving inspiration from the mythical bird of Egyptian sun worship, which is forever renewed, they started experimenting with renewable energy technologies and learning from opportunities that came their way. They installed solar pumps, solar drip irrigation systems, a micro-hydroelectric system, PV battery charging centers and hundreds of photovoltaic systems in various rural communities. They built solar dryers, solar water heating systems, biogas digesters, dozens of solar ovens, hundreds of photovoltaic panels and a hand full of miniature solar cars. From their efforts they were able to create various entities based in renewable energy; an academic program within the university, a business (Suni Solar), an NGO and two rural production centers.
In 1999, after working with various communities on many projects, they came to further appreciate and recognize the importance and challenge of social aspects in the transfer of technology. Taking advantage of lessons learned, they determined that in order to advance the methodology of technology transfer and create the ability to develop sustainable lifestyles, they needed to focus on the experience and process of one community. They began working in Sabana Grande with a project from Falls Brooke Center in New Brunswick, Canada, supporting job creation in solar energy for land mine victims, and with a women´s group that had been organizing, named Las Mujeres Solares de Totgalpa. With training, this group of women became producers of the solar cookers and dryers. They also have been able to sell products of these, such as solar roasted coffee, dried fruits and herbs. Community members have demonstrated extraordinary enthusiasm, proactive leadership and responsibility, which has been key in Grupo Fenix´s success. The women of Las Mujeres Solares also host the international volunteers of Grupo Fenix. The volunteers come to support the projects of Las Mujeres Solares, provide technical support, and learn about the Solar Culture of Sabana Grande to contribute to the research of Grupo Fenix.
-
More about Salud del Sol
- The News & Events page has postings to Salud del Sol news coverage. You can read about the Business Plan Competition that we won, and background in our product research for solar autoclaves.
New! Solar Cooker Construction Manual, 2008 by CJ Colavito, Grupo Fenix volunteer
- The Solar Cooker Construction Manual, complete with photos and detailed diagrams for building your own solar box cooker, is now available. Download the English version (4Mb PDF) here:
Download the manual en Español (4Mb PDF) here: