Texas Tech University

Wind Energy in Nicaragua - Spring Break 2018

Outreach and Engagement

Texas Water Alliance

Texas Tech students travel to Nicaragua to install off-grid (self-sustaining power) water pump and filtration systems for Nicaraguan locals.

CLICK HERE to see the PBS documentary. 

PREPARATION FOR THE PROJECT

In the spring of 2018, a group of wind energy Texas Tech students traveled 2,000 miles to Nicaragua to help provide access to clean drinking water for local residents of Jinotega. Seven weeks before the project, students were given dimensions for a sixty-foot well that had already been drilled at the site. They were tasked with designing an off-grid (self-sustaining power) water pump and filtration system, and spent the progressing weeks designing, fundraising, and gathering donated materials for the project. The pumps were required to be repairable by parts available in Nicaragua, which challenged students to think outside the box. With their completed designs, the team of twenty students led by Instructor Andrew Buchok of the National Wind Institute at Texas Tech flew to Nicaragua to complete the water pump installations that provided fresh, clean water to the community.

AFTER ARRIVAL IN NICARAGUA

The students and faculty faced numerous challenges upon arriving at the well site, but used their ingenuity and problem-solving skills to come up with solutions. Members of the team also traveled to other sites in the area to complete projects including installing a microgrid on a school, using solar energy to supply power. The result of their efforts provided valuable resources to local residents and left Texas Tech students feeling proud of their hard work and accomplishments, as reflected in the following testimonials by the students involved:

"We got the job done, and we were really proud as a team for what we did." – TTU Student

"It's been awesome to be part of something bigger than yourself – to really apply things that you've learned in school in a real-world application for people who actually need it. I think that's the whole reason that we decided to go into technical degrees, to actually make a difference in the world where it's needed." – TTU student

NicaraguaThe drinkable water supply in some areas of Nicaragua has become contaminated due to infectious diseases and farming techniques, which use fertilizer and insecticide. The infant mortality estimation is extremely high, and most experts believe that a lack of clean water is the primary reason for this. Some Nicaraguan citizens do not have access to electricity in remote areas of the country or the technology to pump water from below ground past a certain depth. For many of these homes, clean water is approximately sixty feet below the surface.

Outreach & Engagement