Around 37% (which is over 5m people) of Peru's rural population lack access to electricity. Many of these communities are located in remote areas, making it incredibly difficult and costly to connect them to the local distribution network.

The Wind Aid Institute, a US registered charity, is working for the past decade to bring de-centralised wind energy to remote communities in Peru and relies primarily on income from fees paid by foreign volunteers, plus ad hoc donations and grants.

I am joining Wind Aid Institute in February 2017 working on a four weeks project. The project will involve the construction and the installation of wind turbines at Playa Blanca a small, coastal desert town in Northern Peru. The town’s issue is a complete lack of infrastructure, most notably its inability to access the electricity grid, both because of the town’s remoteness and the steep price of electricity.

During 2015, a team from the Engineers Without Borders UK branch at University College of London undertook a member led partnership project with Wind Aid . Volunteers went out to Peru and assisted in the purpose - to built the Playa Blanca training facility. The eco-friendly work space will be energy self sustained via wind turbines and solar panels and it will be used to provide further training to the locals for maintaining the wind turbines in the area.

Wind Aid, is working to provide each family in Playa Blanca with its own electricity supply, via wind turbines and networks of regional hubs.

I will be funding the trip myself & all donations raised will go directly to the charity.

http://www.windaid.org/

EWB:
http://www.ewb-uk.org/project/building-a-community-wind-workshop-peru/

Wind Aid in the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/jul/20/energy-renewables-climate-change-finance-investment-east-africa-india-off-grid-development

''Everyone has the capacity to have a direct impact in the world''.