Power Overview

Energy is the cornerstone of modern society. Lack of electricity is a huge obstacle to eradicating poverty and an impediment to development of advanced educational and health care facilities, as well as business and finance sectors.

Electrical power provides a developing community with the ability to use technology to implement educational and economic projects, accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of community development.

Power at Orkeeswa Secondary School

Orkeeswa Secondary School is located far off of the country’s unreliable electrical grid, but needs electricity to support educational facilities including science and computer laboratories, teachers’ staff house, student boarding, as well as day-to-day classroom activities.

Orkeeswa teachers currently need to arrange field trips to a computer lab in the town of Monduli to provide hands-on computer skills learning opportunities to the students. Computer and science laboratories on Orkeeswa’s campus are necessary to develop skills the students will need to be successful in modern world. An electrified staff and student boarding houses will allow teachers and the most vulnerable students (e.g., orphans) to live on campus.

Solar Power

A renewable power system is desired in order to make the Orkeeswa Secondary School economically and environmentally sustainable. Since the school is located near the equator, ample sunlight is available and EWB Tanzania Team is currently designing a solar power system for Orkeeswa Secondary School and plans to install it in 2010.

During the April/May 2009 assessment trip, team members met with representatives of Chloride Exide, a local solar power system supplier who donated two panels to accommodate classroom power demands. The donated panels provide power to light the classrooms and allow the teachers to use laptop computers, but the system capacity needs to be expanded to facilitate use of multiple computers, projectors and  laboratory equipment.

Design 

The EWB Tanzania Team is designing a solar system to power a computer lab, a science lab and electrify the new staff house. EWB is working closely with school staff to estimate the power demand and evaluate alternative designs. The team is also working with local suppliers to negotiate the cost of equipment and installation.

The team is consulting with Green Empowerment, a non-profit organization that partners with rural communities in the developing world to implement renewable energy systems that alleviate poverty and preserve the environment. Green Empowerment is providing invaluable advice related to the design and implementation of renewable power systems in the developing world. 

Next Steps

This phase of the project has received a Boeing Grant Award!

The EWB Tanzania Team is busy finalizing the design and team members plan on traveling to Tanzania in June 2010 to install the solar power system at Orkeeswa Secondary School.

Email tanzania [at] ewbportland [dot] org if you are interested in joining the team, traveling to Tanzania, sharing similar design/construction experiences or assisting with obtaining the funds necessary to complete this project.