Samsung is helping students in Africa via its solar powered classrooms – and they are much more than just a converted shipping container with solar panels whacked on the top.
The 12-meter repurposed containers have enough solar panels able to generate nine hours of electricity a day; powering all the equipment within.
Each classroom is equipped with a 125 cm electronic “blackboard”, Internet-enabled solar-powered notebooks, Samsung’s Galaxy tablet computers as well as Wi-Fi cameras.
The fully insulated solar powered classrooms can accommodate 21 students and all learning materials are stored in a central computer server.
Samsung Electronics installed the first Solar Powered Internet School at Phomolong Secondary School in South Africa in October 2011. The initiative received the African Solar Project of the Year in the Africa Energy Awards earlier this year.
Samsung’s Internet Schools Programme pilot programme is occurring in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan and the company’s goal is to expand into more countries in the coming years.
Samsung aims to reach 2.5 million learners on the African continent by 2015.
Some of the other solar related shipping container conversions we’ve covered in the past:
SPACE: Add solar panels, wireless connectivity and a few creature comforts to old shipping containers and you have a fully operational mobile office independent of mains grid power.
ZubaBox: a creation of Computer Aid International, ZubaBox is a mobile solar powered internet connectivity solution that incorporates most of the equipment required to establish a community resource centre or an IT classroom.
Beautiful Earth’s solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station made from a converted shipping container.
Wind and solar-powered data centers small enough to fit inside the average shipping container could revolutionise operations for businesses with high energy demands.
