Electric light is critical in increasing literacy among the world's poorest population. Students are able to study and read more easily due to the illumination of an overhead light, reather than a flickering candle or kerosene lamp. Solar energy can also electrify rural schools, not just for lighting, but to power VCRs and television, overhead projecters and computers.
In 2008, the Solar Electric Light Fund solar electrified three schools in the Eastern Cape South region of Africa, the birthplace of Nelson Mandela. Funded through the generosity of the Kellogg Foundation and JP
Morgan Chase, two thousand students now have access to reliable lighting and access to the Internet.
Working with partners such as eKhaya ICT, Telecom Techniques, as well as other local organizations, SELF has successfully provided reliable solar power to three rural schools, each with computer labs which include thin laptops provided by Dell Computers, as well as Internet connectivity through a solar-powered WiFi mesh network that has given students entreé to the universe of learning resources.
2000
In 1996, SELF began a project to bring solar electricity to Myeka High School, in Maphephethe South Africa.
Within the first year, the school was equipped with an overhead projector, two television sets, a VCR, a photocopier, a copy printer, and 20 computers marking the beginning of a new school experience for these youngsters. The enthusiasm in the school has been contagious throughout the teachers, students, and community. Teaching has become interactive using videos, TV programs, and overhead projectors to augment the learning experience. Students can now spend their time discussing topics and reading texts instead of hand-copying notes off the chalkboard.
Outstanding Results
After receiving solar electricity at Myeka High School, not only did enrollment soar by 40%, but pass rates (the percentage of seniors who graduate with a diploma) jumped from 55% to 69%.
In a recent letter to SELF, the school's principal explained: "The equipment has had a huge impact on enhancing the culture of learning and teaching in our school. The excitement has rub off onto the learners. The school drop out rate has declined considerably over the past two years" (Melusi Zwane, Jan. 2000).
Wireless Connectivity
In January 2000, with the help of SELF, Principal Melusi Zwane had another dream evolve into reality: Myeka High School was connected to the Internet.
Teachers will no longer have to depend on expensive and scarce textbooks since the Internet provides unlimited access to current studies in topics such as science, technology, engineering, and medicine. The school's decreased dropout rate and increased enrollment can partially be attributed to the youth's expectation that the skills they will obtain at Myeka High School will make them more employable.
Quotable!
The success of the project is best summed up by the words of Samantha Dlomo, an 11th grade student at Myeka High School. She says: "Solar energy has brightened my future and it is destined to brighten the future of millions of others."
1996
SELF manages a small but highly visible PV pilot project in the Zulu community of Maphaphethe in the Valley of a Thousand Hills in KwaZulu/Natal, South Africa. With a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, and a contract with the South African Ministry of Energy in Pretoria, SELF brought the first solar home systems (SHS) to this rural Zulu community in early 1996. Working with the KwaZulu Finance Corporation of Durban, SELF provides guarantees for an experimental solar loan program so families can purchase their SHS on installment credit. The development bank collects directly from the users, who pay at the nearest branch or have their bank accounts debited monthly.
The 12,000-member community, headed by a young progressive Nkosi (chief), provides an attractive future market for a sizable program of domestic solar electrification in a region that South African utilities do not expect to reach for 5 to 10 years (if ever). Solar home systems specified by SELF cost approximately $600 and contain a 53 Wp solar module, charge regulator, 4 compact-fluorescent lighting fixtures, wiring, 98 Amp-hour deep-cycle battery, switches and mounting hardware. Loan terms are set at current development bank loan rates, with a 10% down payment and 3 years to pay the balance. So far there have been no defaults, and the user pays the full cost of the systems without subsidy.
SELF initially provided a 200Wp community solar lighting system for the local courthouse to demonstrate the viability of this non-grid electric technology.
SHS installation and maintenance is provided by local technicians trained by SELF South Africa's project manager. Most of the technicians and project "motivators," who sign up families for the program, are young Zulu women. A Women's Solar Cooperative for Maphaphethe is being organized so the women can take over the project administration themselves.
SELF South Africa is acting as the not-for-profit middleman between the distributor and the end user. It is intended that eventually the women's Solar Co-op itself will become the "dealer," purchasing future systems (on both cash and credit basis) directly from PV distributors. In this way, solar home systems become more affordable; credit is provided to those who need it, and a community owns its own domestic solar power generation. The Cooperative, as its own solar dealer, would be like a municipality that buys bulk power from a utility. Communities could then purchase "electricity" directly from solar component manufacturers and their South African distributors.
SELF believes the program can be replicated widely throughout South Africa if the model proves successful. Currently, 3.7 million families in South Africa have yet to receive electric service from the grid; for at least half of them, solar PV can provide the most immediate and least-cost solution. The government of S.A. has been watching SELF's pilot project closely and is currently exploring the best means of widespread dissemination of SHS.
