Underlying our corporate mission, we again center on empowering individuals and uniting as a Company to contribute to society. As a service-minded company, Motor Excellence combines its business and social missions. The Company encourages team members to engage in good citizenship activities from serving on non-profit boards to leadership roles in international aid programs, environmental organizations and youth initiatives. Our team contributes to both our local and the global community for a better, healthier global environment.
David Calley – Wind Energy for Coastal East Africa
Healthy People + Healthy Economy = Healthy Environment
David Calley devotes his life to improving the lives of others and bringing clean, affordable energy and energy saving solutions to mass markets. He first channeled his efforts as the founder of his earlier venture Southwest Windpower, Inc., and today as co-founder of Motor Excellence. Early in 2009, David traveled to Kenya when officials from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) introduced him to the urgent need for off-grid power in facilities to support their conservation efforts.
The forests and marine ecosystems of Coastal East Africa support a vast diversity of plant and animal life in fragile habitats. These habitats, of significant global biological value, are under great threat. Due to their impoverished state and lack of education, many of the local population are forced to turn to poaching and other practices that seriously threaten the biodiversity and local wildlife. After learning of the hardships facing schools, hospitals and WWF programs due to the lack of electricity, David went to work to find practical solutions.
In February 2009, David traveled to Kenya to install nine Southwest Windpower turbines at strategic locations in coordination with both WWF and the local Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS). David raised cash and donations for the project, which led to the installation of wind turbines in five locations around the country. These wind turbines now power a hospital, a rural clinic, refrigeration facilities for local fishermen, the combined WWF and KWS headquarters and a remote WWF marine preserve in Kiunga on an island near the border of Somalia. The clean wind power now provided to these sites enables everything from refrigeration for medicines, to freezers for seafood storage and lights for schools. These systems provide power 24 hours a day compared to just 4 hours per day for the diesel generator, plus the major cost savings over operating diesel generators. Local entrepreneurs at one site started a cottage industry using excess power to charge village cell phones, using the revenue to help fund the operation of the local medical clinic.
The Kirunga Marine National Reserve (KMNR), Northern Kenya
David’s KMNR wind turbine and solar project provide power that improves effective conservation and management practices through improved scientific knowledge of the ecology of sea turtles in Eastern Africa.According to the WWF, the Lamu Archipelago is one of the most important marine turtle nesting grounds in East Africa. It is a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1980. Five of the seven sea turtle species that range in the Western Indian Ocean are found within the Lamu Seascape. Three among these species – the Green, Hawksbill and Olive Ridley turtles nest there and the other two species – the Loggerhead and Leatherback feed there as well.
This effort identifies and monitors turtle routes, foraging grounds and geographic threats by fitting satellite transmitters onto selected marine turtles to gain information on migratory patterns and identify inter-nesting habitats. WWF, in partnership with KWS mobilizes communities to protect the marine turtles both at sea and on the beaches.
Before David arrived in March 2009, the KMNR center relied on a smoky, noisy diesel electric generator that required 7,200 liters of diesel fuel (1,900 US gallons) a year. Today the generator is no longer needed, saving $12,000 per year and the time and logistics of transporting diesel fuel by ship to this beautiful, remote site.
David’s wind generator project contributes to education as well as the conservation efforts of preventing the poaching of turtle meat and eggs, to reducing illegal trade in turtle products, and the destruction of nesting beaches and habitats.
For more information on the Wind Energy Initiative for Coastal East Africa, please see the WWF newsletter PDF.
