Rural schools as solar energy hubs

Saturday, 30 July 2022 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In the last few weeks we commenced publishing research based articles on how Sri Lanka’s entire economy and human wellbeing could change if we had a macro policy for using the energy of the sun for our electricity generation. We categorically stated that Sri Lanka does not have to be in this dismal economic pit if we harness all our efforts on renewable energy.

Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) engineers and independent solar energy experts/engineers/entrepreneurs/ were among those who we had interviewed and are interviewing on the process of making solar energy the future of Sri Lanka as featured; https://www.ft.lk/harmony_page/From-begging-bowl-to-self-reliance/10523-737237.

The Harmony page would like to announce that together with the initiative of sustainability practitioner and media professional Frances Bulathsinghala and the support of Daily FT Editor in Chief, Nisthar Cassim, a five-year pilot project to transform rural most schools to solar energy is being planned.

Commencing with immediate effect, as the first phase of the project, 30 schools around the country are being selected for an integrated program which will look at traditional and modern entrepreneurship skill building and innovation while empowering rural schools to be community awareness hubs for sustainable renewable energy. In any event that Sri Lanka faces a situation of prolonged power cuts/blackouts, these schools could be transformed to village energy community centres that will also act as hubs for integrated knowledge and entrepreneurship training as well as rural product export centres in the background of the unprecedented socio-economic crisis the country is facing.

We hope to commence this initiative targeting two rural most schools in the Anuradhapura district and will work with authorities concerned to initiate the work as soon as possible.

We request all those interested in supporting this cause to contact us on 0094 777 273395 via text/WhatsApp.

We are also in the process of organising the solar energy awareness national conference series to commence in the last week of August.

Extensive awareness on what each individual, village, as well as local and central government could do to create the discourse on solar energy will be discussed in detail in this page in the next few weeks. Detailed interviews with engineers specialising in renewable energy will be published. We will also facilitate educational discussions in schools and universities to encourage a national discourse on the link between renewable energy, national economy and heritage based knowledge of how our ancient ancestors used to maximum the potential of the sun.