The Intel Learning Series Alliance in partnership with Jasco, Custom Technologies and the Xavier Group, have delivered a completely solar-powered leaning initiative to Victorious Primary School in Uganda.
Dubbed ‘Classroom on Wheels’, the equipment includes a laptop trolley, a teacher laptop and 35 Intel powered Classmate PCs along with a WiFi access point, with content and administration delivered by the Critical Links Education Appliance.
Paul Fick, divisional MD of Jasco Enterprise said the solar power is a significant part of the solution since many schools in Uganda including Victorious Primary School, are off the national grid.
The solution is completely autonomous and does not require mains power. It addresses the power requirements that run the equipment using a complete solar charging solution that forms part of the system.
The charging system incorporates three solar panels, two battery connections and a charge management system fed into a charging unit, which housed within the laptop cart that facilitates the charging of the laptops and the server.
When fully charged, the solar solution can last up to three days before the battery is drained making it a good solution even for the areas that face constant power outages.
The entire solution is designed to continue functioning should a single component break. Individual components can also be quickly replaced to restore the system to full capacity.
The Ugandan government is already on a mission to introduce solar powered computer and technology solutions into schools with Victorious Primary School as the pilot project.
Intel commissioned the project as part of a global mission to advance technology in education.
