Mikumi Solar Project 2015 – It’s been raining hard the last few days in the town of Mikumi, Tanzania but that hasn’t dampened the spirits of the team of NSCC students and employees here to implement a solar water pumping system at the Mikumi Vocational Training Centre (VTC) campus. 

The group consists of  six students including Kelly Krawchuk (Electronics Engineering Technician, Marconi Campus), Matt Page (Energy Sustainability Engineering Technology, Annapolis Valley Campus), Lisa Misener (Environmental Engineering Technology, Waterfront Campus), Alanna Fowler (Environmental Engineering Technology, Waterfront Campus), Kyle Murphy (Electrical Engineering Technology, Waterfront Campus), Kalyn Appleby (Mechanical Engineering Technology, Waterfront Campus) and three employees, “Solar” Gord Wilkie (Electrical Engineering Technology faculty, Waterfront Campus), Jim Kerr (Environmental Engineering Technology faculty, Waterfront Campus) and Darrell Stevens (Facilities Manager, Waterfront Campus).

This is the second year a team from NSCC has participated in a solar project at Mikumi VTC. Last year the group worked with electrical students here to install small-scaled PV panels in order to create a consistent power supply on campus in country where rolling blackouts and power outages are very common. This year the group is working with an interdisciplinary team of Mikumi VTC students and faculty and have the task of testing water quality, installing solar panels and building and implementing a new pumping system.

The sun came out today, and well this is a good thing when you are depending on it to generate power, although the brightest thing about this project is the learning that is shared between institutions and cultures.

Kellie McMullin

NSCC International