U.S. Navy Lt. Christine Fix, Paktika Provincial Reconstruction Team engineer, performs a quality assessment on a hospital’s solar panel in Sharana district of Paktika province, Afghanistan, Sept. 13. Fix is part of Paktika PRT’s engineering department and provides guidance and quality assessments on projects such as this in Sharana. The solar panel and wind turbine project has been in the works since July 2008 and was recently completed. The project offers the hospital the ability to operate cleaner and more sterile work places. Electricity and light increase the capacity of the hospital’s operations by providing many benefits like sterile storage, running water and appropriate lighting for examining rooms. (Photo by U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Brooke Brzozowske, Paktika Provincial Reconstruction Team)
PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan -The Paktika Provincial Reconstruction Team visited a hospital in the Sharana district of Paktika province, Afghanistan, to perform a quality assessment check on the solar panel and wind turbine located at the hospital, Sept. 13.
The solar panel and wind turbine, a project that had been under construction since July 2008 and was recently completed, offers the hospital the ability to operate in a cleaner and more sterile
environment.
Both power sources will increase electricity output, which improvess the capacity of the hospital's operations by providing many benefits like sterile storage, running water and better lighting for examining rooms.
"The project provides a more sustainable power source than generators," said U.S. Navy Lt. Christine Fix, engineer, Paktika PRT. "This is a perfect project for this province as it has a very small power grid to work with. It offers the people of Sharana a low cost and minimal maintenance capability, while providing a clean option for power."
The solar panel and wind turbine can provide up to 10 hours of electricity a day. The remaining hours of the day are sustained by generators, providing the hospital with 24 hours of power, Fix added.
"Projects like this allow the Afghan people to better harness and sustain their own natural resources," said U.S. Navy Commander Timothy Cauthen, commander, Paktika PRT. "PRT Paktika greatly appreciates the opportunity to support the efforts in improving this hospital's capabilities. This project's success will pave the way for similar projects within the province in the near future."
The solar panel and wind turbine project at the hospital was completed by Sustainable Energy Projects Afghanistan, a private company based out of Sharana district.
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