If you’ve been following me on TechPP since I joined, you might have noticed that I have a writing appetite for stories similar with this one. I just love it, when technology is being put to such an use that it makes a real impact on peoples’ lives, especially those that don’t have the best conditions. That’s why I think 3D printed houses or such initiatives as Wikipedia Zero are the real changes made by technical breakthrough.
Some of us have probably heard only about solar-powered gadgets, but now Samsung shows us just how much they can harness the power of the Sun. Too bad that companies like Apple aren’t taking part in such awesome projects (at least not that I know off), because such actions would really transform them into a super-hero company. Samsung seems more interested in this, and has made a small solar-powered school, part of their CSR campaing (corporate social responsibility).
Samsung transforms container into movable, solar-powered school in Africa
Maybe school is too big a word for what has Samsung made, as it’s the size of a bigger classroom. This “portable”, solar-powered classroom has been made in the South African village of Phomolong (South Africa is not amongst the poorest countries in Africa). The official name of this ingenious school is the Solar Powered Internet School. The solar panels that are installed on the container are enough to power the following:
- 50-inch electronic board
- Samsung Internet-enabled solar-powered notebooks
- Samsung Galaxy tablets
- Wi-Fi cameras
There is already a school in Phomolong, and this one has been created in order to be moved to the areas where there is no or little electricity, and obviously, no Internet access. The solar panels that are installed are surrounded by rubber, so they won’t break when the container-school is being moved. The solar-powered classroom has also insulation and ventilation inside, so it creates the perfect learning environment for kids.
At first, I thought this was just a side project to make some positive PR, but Samsung has announced that they plan to reach almost 5 million students in Africa by 2015 with this idea. And don’t you think that Samsung won’t be getting other benefits out of this than just some praise from NGOs. It is expected that the Korean behemoth will increase its presence in the smartphone market, doubling the marketing expenses.