- Solar panels on the hay storage shed.
- Solar system behind the scenes: batteries store power to enable overnight use.
- Finally - power lines on the campus
Let There Be Light
Having reliable, affordable power to the EBCCK campus has been a long haul, complicated by the cost of the system and dealing with local utility officials. Image trying to do homework without lights in the evening, or having to take your computers off-site in order to charge them! A few battery-powered and solar-powered lights were available, but they were not adequate for long term use. Early solar collection and battery storage systems started us on the road, but were unreliable and insufficient.
Thankfully, in 2017 Kathy and David Richmond, a retired nurse and doctor from McCall, Idaho, donated the money in memory of his mother, a long time missionary to the Kikuyu tribe in Kijabe. The Harriet Richmond Solar Array system revolutionized the complex by providing power whenever needed by the teachers, staff and students. In 2019, hard wired power finally made it to the property through Kenyan Power, but it is unreliable and expensive, so solar power remains a vital (and free) component of the utilities on the campus.
