Leading the charge for more than 80 volunteers, Mountain View Solar (mtvSolar) of Berkeley Springs recently completed what may be the largest solar array among international aid organizations for the non-profit Water Missions International.
“In four days, we eliminated the monthly cost of electricity needed to manufacture water filtration systems distributed around the world,” said mtvSolar’s president, Mike McKechnie. “That savings means an additional 100 people a month, worldwide, will have access to safe drinking water for life.”
When McKechnie learned of the project through solar panel manufacturer SolarWorld Industries America Inc. of Hillsboro, Ore., he volunteered his company’s time to plan and manage the installation at Water Mission’s world headquarters. SolarWorld donated the 450‐panel, 100‐kilowatt solar array. Additional companies donated the remaining materials, including world‐leading inverter manufacturer SMA America.
“It was an honor to participate with these two leaders in the solar industry,” McKechnie said. “Any questions we had about the volunteer time our company put into the project completely disappeared when we arrived at Water Missions International in Charleston, S.C., and learned of their international efforts. It turned out we have the same mission: to make significant and lasting change in the world.”
With operations in nine countries besides the United States, Water Missions International is dedicated to combating the global need for safe water. The award-winning human relief agency, which describes itself as a Christian engineering ministry, has completed more than 800 community water projects in 49 countries on five continents serving some 2 million people.
“Thousands of people die every day from water-borne diseases, most of which could have been prevented simply by drinking safe water,” said Water Missions International CEO and Co-Founder George Greene III. “With our new solar array, we will be able to direct more funds to safe water projects–and provide transformational life change to those in need. That could not have been accomplished without the help of Mountain View Solar, SolarWorld, SMA America and many other companies who contributed their time, resources and talent.”
McKechnie took three employees, including a master electrician, engineer and service technician, on what turned into a life-changing mission. “We’ve been committed at Mountain View Solar to using the sun for sustainable energy for more than a decade,” he said. “This project was all about community, developed by working long hours with the volunteers, and about human service to people all over the world who will now have clean water.”
