Jacob Leatherberry ’16 reports that the solar microgrid he designed with Nico Metais ’16 and installed in the village of Alafiarou in rural northeastern Benin, Africa, is still up and running. In fact, it has more than doubled. Following graduation in 2016, Leatherberry returned to Alafiarou with Constant Bossou, S.J. to expand this microgrid and build an upgraded version based on research he conducted at the Latimer Solar Energy lab on campus. With both microgrids expanding steadily, at least 315 people in Alafiarou now have lights and can charge their cell phones. Originally for senior design, the project was done under the advisement of Jim Reites, S.J., and electrical engineering professor Tim Healy.