The St. Paul?s Community Centre is the primary facility, designated a shelter and most likely to be used following a disaster, as was the case in 2004 after the passage of Hurricane Ivan. The Centre serves a residential community with a population of approximately 2548. The Centre does not currently have any back-up power.
In addition, being the sole meeting place with facilities for the development and showcasing of educational, sporting, cultural and recreational activities within the St. Paul?s community, and its environs (approximately 6647 residents), there is a dire need for the installation of alternative energy ? Solar - for used in the facilities.
The Centre is also used by the St. Paul?s Government School, various churches and other organisations within the community for: school activities, church services, meetings, polling station during general elections, weddings, fun days and is also the home of Commancheros Steel Orchestra and Carnival Mas Band.

The installation of a Solar System presents an opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of the Community Centre and the adjoining sporting complex, as well as provide back-up lighting for the Centre in times of disaster resulting in co-benefits for mitigation and adaptation. It will also drastically reduce the present annual spend on electricity; monies which can be put to better use to assist the vulnerable people in the community.

The goal of the project is toestablish a self ? sustaining and reliable power source for the community center that can be leveraged during crisis/ disaster and to provide excess solar energy to the St. Paul?s Government School, which is approximately 75 Meters from the Community Centre. This is the main Primary school in the community catering for the educational needs for most of the low income families.

The objectives are as follow

To reduce the use of fossil fuel based electricity by building an infrastructure to supply approximately 30kwp to the St. Paul?s Community Centre in 6 months from the procurement of the equipment.

To maintain an uninterrupted power supply to the community center with 90 percent up-time.

To train a team of 10 to 15 persons from the community with the requisite knowledge and expertise to monitor, evaluate and maintain the system and to provide training to others within the community

To drastically reduce or eliminate the cost associated with/for electrical power which is approx. EC$26K annually within two years of installing the system.