Luhunga's sunny gift that keeps on giving

We recently visited the Luhunga Secondary School in the Mufindi District of the Southern Highlands of Tanzania.

Luhunga Secondary School.

While evaluating potential schools for macrosolar installations, I pay attention to whether the school has the management commitment and business acumen to generate income which will maintain the solar system for many years to come.

Solar systems cost money to maintain and SolarAid anticipates that in addition to donating panels to schools in need, the organisation also needs to empower the schools to generate sufficient funds to maintain the system. Hence, questions on business plans and income generating ideas become standard questions in our evaluation.

The library at Luhunga that will be light through solar power.

The Headmaster at Luhunga showed minimal hesitation in seeing the economic benefit for solar. He readily agreed to a co-payment of 10% and was confident that he could easily raise these funds in a short period of time.

As I worked with him on income-generating estimates, I realised that a sizeable market exists for technologies that could harness the energy of the sun. In mobile phone charging alone, the market could reach about £5,000 per month for a village with approximately 3000 "working" adults.

The teacher also estimated a sizeable market exists for the charging of large batteries. Currently, the villagers pay 1000 Tsh (about 60p) per charge and have to take their batteries to an in-town charging facility about 1.5 hours away by car.

The Headmaster of Luhunga Secondary School with the kerosene lanterns he hopes to rid with the installation of solar panels.

But the easiest form of income generation is simply the replacement of money used to buy kerosene. Currently, Luhunga Secondary School uses kerosene for evening classes and charges each student 1000 Tsh per month on kerosene supply alone which means the school could save a total 450,000 Tsh (£230) per month by switching to solar.

More from me soon,
Irna