Friday post good or how Samsung builds an online school of solar energy
Have you ever heard of a solar-powered online school? Solar Powered Internet School is a very original project, organized by Samsung. Its goal is to help children from distressed areas of the planet to learn and gain access to modern technology. The first mobile class on solar energy appeared a year ago in a small village Fomolong (Phomolong), in the suburbs of the capital of South Africa Johannesburg. Recently, this development has received an award as the best solar project of the year at the Africa Energy Awards.
Thierry Boulanger, head of Samsung’s South African division for “projects in the field of information technology,” said that only a small part of such projects was successfully commissioned, since only 25% of the country's population has access to electricity. This contributes to the creation of isolated communities that do not have modern educational institutions and communication channels, which, in turn, has a very negative impact on the development of these regions. Boulanger described the Solar Powered Internet School project as “a mobile and fully independent class, the equipment in which works exclusively on solar energy.” Its pilot version “aims to increase the availability of education and expand telecommunication opportunities throughout Africa.”
What is a mobile class? In fact, it is a 12-meter container. But not simple, butgold special. It is powered by solar panels mounted on the roof and sides. The batteries themselves are also unusual: made of rubber-like material, which greatly simplifies their transportation without the risk of damage. They generate up to 9 hours of electricity per day, powering all classroom equipment. Inside, the room is equipped with a 50-inch interactive electronic board, solar-powered laptops with Internet access, Samsung GALAXY tablet computers, and Wi-Fi cameras that take class pictures every 15 seconds. At the same time, a mobile class can accommodate up to 21 students, all teaching materials from zero to twelfth grade are contained on a central server.
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According to Boulanger, the project's development process took into account three key priorities: the container must be stable and reliable, independent of the power grid and have safety and control devices on board.
Solar panels are more durable than usual, thanks to the rubberized component in their structure. The stored energy storage system was improved: instead of vessels with sulfuric acid (H2SO4), diluted with distilled water, it uses lead-acid batteries with electrolyte in the form of a gel. This was done to prevent the release of hazardous substances during transport. Also on the panels there are special sensors with which you can track their location in case of theft.
In order to avoid the temptation of unauthorized connection to an independent power source in the middle of remote rural areas (all kinds of kettles and televisions), all power sources were placed at the bottom of the batteries. If someone still decides to stick crazy hands where it does not follow, the security system will immediately send a signal to the operator , who monitors this object.
It's no secret that the African sun is the hottest on the planet. A few hours of being in a regular metal container under the local noonday sun may not have the best effect on health and livelihoods. This problem was solved by Samsung engineers by equipping the mobile room of the class with a 10-centimeter layer of thermal insulation and exhaust ventilation to ensure a comfortable microclimate inside. Solar panels also play a role in cooling the room, taking the brunt of direct sunlight on themselves and acting as a kind of umbrella for the container. With all these solutions, the temperature difference inside and outside is ten degrees.
The container is transportable: it can be loaded onto a truck and transported to any point of the country, regardless of distance.
The school director, Mocheke Toka, says that the school in Fomolong is the only educational institution in the territory with a population of more than 350 thousand people. It is designed to teach 1,200 children, but at the moment there are 1,972 students in it. More than 500 of them are orphans, and even those children who have parents often cannot afford to pay for their education. The school teaches 70 teachers, additional classes are held during the day and in the evening, and free meals are provided for 1,500 students.
Toka also noted that the new Internet class on solar energy allowed school students to discover a completely new world. Now they can use the Internet both at school and in their free time, if it is necessary to work on their school projects.
Thierry Boulangie believes that the creation of the Internet schools on solar energy in South Africa will help solve many of the socio-economic problems of this region: "Now we are moving from" Here is a laptop, here is an order, here is the price "to" Here is an affordable solution. "
The Solar Powered Internet School initiative will be developed: Samsung plans to install dozens of containers in other regions of the country and provide more than five million African students with available technologies by 2015.
Video:
Thierry Boulanger, head of Samsung’s South African division for “projects in the field of information technology,” said that only a small part of such projects was successfully commissioned, since only 25% of the country's population has access to electricity. This contributes to the creation of isolated communities that do not have modern educational institutions and communication channels, which, in turn, has a very negative impact on the development of these regions. Boulanger described the Solar Powered Internet School project as “a mobile and fully independent class, the equipment in which works exclusively on solar energy.” Its pilot version “aims to increase the availability of education and expand telecommunication opportunities throughout Africa.”
What is a mobile class? In fact, it is a 12-meter container. But not simple, but
')
According to Boulanger, the project's development process took into account three key priorities: the container must be stable and reliable, independent of the power grid and have safety and control devices on board.
Solar panels are more durable than usual, thanks to the rubberized component in their structure. The stored energy storage system was improved: instead of vessels with sulfuric acid (H2SO4), diluted with distilled water, it uses lead-acid batteries with electrolyte in the form of a gel. This was done to prevent the release of hazardous substances during transport. Also on the panels there are special sensors with which you can track their location in case of theft.
In order to avoid the temptation of unauthorized connection to an independent power source in the middle of remote rural areas (all kinds of kettles and televisions), all power sources were placed at the bottom of the batteries. If someone still decides to stick crazy hands where it does not follow, the security system will immediately send a signal to the operator , who monitors this object.
It's no secret that the African sun is the hottest on the planet. A few hours of being in a regular metal container under the local noonday sun may not have the best effect on health and livelihoods. This problem was solved by Samsung engineers by equipping the mobile room of the class with a 10-centimeter layer of thermal insulation and exhaust ventilation to ensure a comfortable microclimate inside. Solar panels also play a role in cooling the room, taking the brunt of direct sunlight on themselves and acting as a kind of umbrella for the container. With all these solutions, the temperature difference inside and outside is ten degrees.
The container is transportable: it can be loaded onto a truck and transported to any point of the country, regardless of distance.
The school director, Mocheke Toka, says that the school in Fomolong is the only educational institution in the territory with a population of more than 350 thousand people. It is designed to teach 1,200 children, but at the moment there are 1,972 students in it. More than 500 of them are orphans, and even those children who have parents often cannot afford to pay for their education. The school teaches 70 teachers, additional classes are held during the day and in the evening, and free meals are provided for 1,500 students.
Toka also noted that the new Internet class on solar energy allowed school students to discover a completely new world. Now they can use the Internet both at school and in their free time, if it is necessary to work on their school projects.
Thierry Boulangie believes that the creation of the Internet schools on solar energy in South Africa will help solve many of the socio-economic problems of this region: "Now we are moving from" Here is a laptop, here is an order, here is the price "to" Here is an affordable solution. "
The Solar Powered Internet School initiative will be developed: Samsung plans to install dozens of containers in other regions of the country and provide more than five million African students with available technologies by 2015.
Video:
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/157747/
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