The energy landscape in South Africa is in disarray with daily energy blackouts disrupting industry, forcing the closure of small businesses and affecting the lives of millions of people. Young people are disproportionately impacted by these challenges, not least of all because of the vulnerability of their schools. Teaching is crippled by the blackouts and yet schools cannot afford a back-up solar system.
The Solar Schools project is designed to solve exactly this problem. We pay for and install a solar system to reduce the school’s dependency on the grid and keep the classrooms functioning through the black-outs. Smart meters measure all energy use and the school pays for each unit of solar electricity used at a rate pegged at 20% lower than the standard grid tariff. This revenue is used to pay back any initial loans and provide for all maintenance of the system. On top of this, money is set aside for a School Improvements Fund for the school to spend on new library books or computers (for example). Finally, funds are also set aside for the Pay-It-Forward Fund which ensures that after a few years, there is enough capital in place to install solar on another school.
For more on Solar Schools, see the video below.
