Solar powered health centers and classrooms – Solutions built to tackle Africa’s challenges

At the just ended Samsung Africa Forum 2013 in Cape Town, South Africa, Samsung Africa launched its Solar Powered Health Centre model, marking the start of a large-scale medical initiative on the continent. The mobile centres are built for use in remote rural areas, and intended to eliminate the economic and geographic barriers that prevent people across Africa from obtaining quality medical treatment. The Solar Powered Health Centre is designed to reach as many people as possible, as regularly as possible. Mounted on a truck and manned by qualified medical professionals, the centres will move from one area to the next, providing a range of eye, ear, blood and dental medical services to the public. Also on show at the Samsung forum, was a solar-powered internet school – a 12-metre container that can accommodate at least 21 pupils, each with a laptop, and has 24 solar panels providing nine hours of power a day. Fully charged, the batteries last three to five days. Since their launch in 2011, the $100,000 schools have begun operating in Angola, Botswana, Ivory Coast, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa, helping an estimated 7,000 children. Nearby was a solar power generator that can be connected to conventional classrooms. Samsung says that, on average, less than 25% of rural areas in Africa have access to electricity. Leonard Tleane, smart schools solutions provider for the company, says solar energy is a growing part of the solution. “The costs are definitely coming down and most of corporate South Africa is moving into solar power. You walk into the townships these days and almost every house has a solar geyser.” In addition to this, as part of its drive towards providing Built For Africa products, Samsung has developed an alternative that will provide easy power accessibility at an affordable price and that does not require the use of non-renewable resources for its operation – the Samsung Solar Power Generator. This product is therefore perfectly positioned for any facility where alternative energy sources are required. The Samsung Solar Power Generator, equivalent to that of a 15KVa diesel generator, capitalizes on the one resource that Africa has an abundance of – sunlight. As well as the benefits provided by implementing a green energy source, the generator can provide power for up to eight years without any additional maintenance, and has a lifespan of up to 25 years, ensuring a reliability-centered power solution. ]]>