Small Hope Has Gone SOLAR!

Solar panels for our hot tub

As you may know, Small Hope Bay Lodge has always been firmly committed to our natural environment. For many years we have employed several measures to reduce our environmental impact such as LED bulbs in all of our light fixtures and water saving devices in all our toilets.

Now we have taken it a step further. All the hot water for our entire resort - that means all 21 of our beachfront cabins, as well as our kitchen, lounge, and hot tub - is completely solar heated now.

Layout of our solar design

This is a big step for Small Hope, and Andros Island in general. This island's energy is currently supplied by diesel generators, a very costly and inefficient fuel source. By switching all our water heating to solar, we are taking a huge step forward in reducing our dependency on non-renewable energy sources. 

We are very proud of this. And it's just the beginning. . . .

Solar panels for our cabins and lounge

This process began last summer when we had a team of interns from Duke University down for several weeks to help design and implement a solar hot water heating system for the resort. They definitely got the ball rolling and helped construct the unit we currently are using to heat all the water for our cabins, lounge and kitchen.

We then expanded the project further and, with a little help for some good friends, constructed an additional unit for heating our hot tub.

A big thanks to everyone who helped us achieve this goal!

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Some of our favorite photos from this summer . . .

We have a had a beautiful and hurricane-free summer at Small Hope. We are getting ready for our annual re-opening next week and the staff can't wait for the guests to come back. Here are just a few of our favorite photos from this summer . . . 

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More from the Green Team on our Solar Project

My time on Andros have flown by. As I write my last blog entry for Small Hope from the packed Starbucks in Dupont Circle in the heart of Washington, DC it occurred to me that there is no greater juxtaposition to the environment I left behind on Andros. Smart Phones, watches and laptops line every table. Leaving is always bittersweet. Although I am glad to be within walking distance to a hundred restaurants, bars, and stores, I’m already missing the carefree atmosphere.

My last few weeks at Small Hope have been spent overseeing and laying the pipes for the solar hot water system, creating a solar hot water manual and designing a low cost solar hot water system for residential use. The solar hot water manual is meant to document the process that we went through to design and build the system so that other resorts or businesses can follow suit later. The manual includes tediously detailed sourcing information so replacement parts can be easily ordered. The manual also includes detailed schematics, diagrams, and maintenance information.

The rest of the Duke Green team have been busy wrapping up several other projects we have been working on, including an interactive user friendly energy monitoring program that allows users to graphically display information regarding Small Hope’s energy use and cost (total, per capita, etc) and sort according to different factors such as year, season, and end energy use. We also designed a separate solar hot water system for the hot tub. Outside of the project, we have all been proactive with our Andros Bucket List. I finally got to dive Over the Wall at 185 feet, Backside of the Blue Hole, checked out Morgan's Bluff and Mastic Pointe up north, and received my Advanced Diving Certification. 

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The Solar Project at Small Hope

Four months ago, I expected my summer to be spent somewhere in the hustle and bustle of downtown Washington, DC, researching and writing memos on various environmental issues. It didn’t even occur to me that building a solar domestic hot water system in the Bahamas at a dive resort surrounded by mangroves and clear turquoise water was an option! I am glad I made the choice to trade in my metro card and suit for a bicycle and flip flops.

As August, and the end of my time with Small Hope Bay Lodge, approaches, I start to reflect on my experience here and all that has been accomplished. Working with Small Hope has been an incredible experience and a rare opportunity to be able to see a vision turn into a physical reality. I came down here with nothing but a notepad and with the help of some great teammates, Kevin Kurkul, Jake Vestal, and Esi Waters, and the support of the Small Hope family we can leave with a resort-wide solar hot water system, an energy monitoring program, community outreach material on solar hot water systems, and an environmental management plan for the resort.

Time has really flown by and these next few weeks will continue to fly by as we try to finish construction on the solar hot water system. I am ecstatic to get my hands dirty after weeks of dealing with the logistics of obtaining specialized parts and shipping to a remote Out Island like Andros.  (You will not believe how inaccurate those shipping estimate dates are!)

Finally after a few weeks of calling freight companies, distributors, and coordinating with manufacturers, the majority of the parts have arrived! We have been focusing our efforts on building the water manifolds for the hot water storage tanks and starting to solder the copper components. If you are interested in reading more about the specifics of the system, check out my blog entry on the system design. http://blogs.nicholas.duke.edu/internshipblogs/pulling-together-a-solar-hot-water-system-for-small-hope/ Once we are done with that, the team will start to run the pex tubing (a flexible tube that will deliver the end use water) around the resort and to each of our cabins. I am excited to see what our final system looks like and to get it online! I think it will be a great help to Small Hope in terms of reducing its energy costs, but also as an example for the community and to inspire others to follow suit! With plentiful sun exposure, Bahamians really could benefit by tapping into this underutilized resource!

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