SolarCity to Install Solar Power Systems in Schools Without Electricity

American solar energy provider SolarCity has announced plans to donate and install hundreds of solar power systems in schools without electricity. The nonprofit arm of the company, the Give Power Foundation, says that for every megawatt of residential solar power installed by SolarCity in 2014, a solar power and backup battery system will be installed in a school in the developing world.

According to the United Nations Development Program, 1.4 billion people (20% of the world’s population) do not have access to electricity and an additional one billion struggle with unreliable electricity networks. 291 million children around the world have no electricity in their schools.

A lack of electricity in schools limits the amount of time students are able to study and learn to full daylight hours, and means no access to materials like projectors and computers. Students and teachers are unable to print and copy materials, learn computer skills, and access online resources.

SolarCity estimates that it will be able to install between 475 and 525 solar power and battery systems in schools, partnering with the school-building nonprofit buildOn. Identified target countries include Nicaragua, Haiti, Malawi, Mali, Nepal, and Senegal.

SolarCity and buildOn have already installed one photovoltaic system at a school in Nicaragua. In addition to providing teachers and students with an inexpensive, sustainable source of power during the day, thanks to electricity the school now functions as a community center and meeting place at night.

According to SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive, most poor, rural schools in developing countries “will never get electricity” in the near future, as no local means to generate it exist nearby. With the photovoltaic panels and battery system his company will install, he says, “You can skip the legacy infrastructure and build out the new infrastructure in a smarter, better way.”

Creative Commons Love: Black Rock Solar on Flickr.com

Written by Carla Drumhiller Smith