The gift enables the only orphanage housing children with special needs in the country to vastly reduce its energy costs
SHANGHAI, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, the completion and handover ceremony was held for the solar panel facility providing power to Casa Providencia (Providence House) in Espinar, a community near Colón in Panama. Casa Providencia is the country's only orphanage for special needs children. The construction and installation of the facility were a joint effort of Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (ZPMC) and Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT).
Nancy Andrade Castro, president of Rotary Club Pacific (Panama City), part of Rotary International, a global organization of humanitarian leaders; Genesis Herrera, head of Rotary Club Cristobal-Colon; Matt Hedspeth, founder of Casa Providencia; Yelitza Norse, social responsibility manager for MIT, and Qian Weiyong, head of ZPMC's Latin American Regional Center, all took the stage to share their thoughts and insights, emphasizing the importance of the project. Their speeches were captured by reporters from local TV, radio, and social media outlets, ensuring extensive media coverage.
Following the remarks, the key representatives from the five organizations joined together, cutting the ribbon in unison to symbolize the project's official completion. A subsequent tour of Casa Providencia underlined its vital role in caring for nearly a hundred orphaned and disabled children.
With the increase in the number of children in the orphanage, electricity consumption has surged, leading to escalating costs and financial strain for the organization. Rotary International, one of the world's largest public welfare organizations, initiated the project to meet the energy demand. ZPMC and MIT co-sponsored the construction.
ZPMC's contributions were acknowledged with the 2023 Outstanding Sponsor Gold Award and the Gold Award for PV Energy System Project, presented by Rotary International.
The facility, located at the ground carport of the orphanage, consists of 108 photovoltaic modules with a total installed capacity of 60kW. MIT was responsible for the construction and installation of the infrastructure supporting the facility, while ZPMC provided the photovoltaic power generation systems, featuring ultra-high power double-sided, double-glazed PV modules for solar energy collection.
Construction formally commenced in May of this year and was connected to the grid earlier this month, beginning electricity generation. Designed for a 25-year service life, the project will yield an average annual capacity of approximately 84,000kWh, saving about 28 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by around 78 tons per year.
The successful completion of the facility not only ensures clean, renewable power for Casa Providencia, but also contributes to the long-term sustainability and environmental well-being of the region. By advancing Panama's green development initiatives, the project has earned widespread praise from local communities.
