The Sonlig Project

CATEGORY: Energy

LOCATION: Disaneng Village, South Africa

The Sonlig Project

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Sonlig provides a science kit and curriculum designed to allow students living in energy poverty to build and service a personal solar energy system to recharge a mobile learning device and operate a built in light.

Standings & Awards

591 out of 591 in Africa
143 out of 143 in Energy
935 out of 935 in Design
992 out of 992 in Charitable
4003 out of 4003 Overall

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VOTES

The Sonlig Project - Because Every Child Deserves Light

Reduce energy poverty, provide access to technology, and teach students about the potential for solar energy.

Every child deserves light
Light for learning, light for jobs, light for the future.

Mission: The Sonlig project provides a science kit and curriculum introducing learners to solar energy and allows them to build something functional and personal. The process will engage the learner in a purposeful inquiry based learning experience, challenge them to build their own personal solar energy system and inspire them to develop new knowledge and skills. We aim to provide learners with 21st century technology in areas where energy poverty is a barrier to access. Without access to electricity there is no access to technology. Many of us take energy and technology access for granted but simple solutions can be implemented to provide energy access regardless of location.

Background: Sonlig comprises three Technology in Education students in an online globally focused Master’s program at the University of Michigan-Flint. The team formed during the program’s 2011 residency in Geneva, Switzerland where the group met with Theophilus van Rensburg Lindzter of Learning Academy WorldWide. He explained his work with the M-Ubuntu project in South Africa; which uses recycled phones as mobile learning devices to improve literacy and numeracy in South African schools. Sonlig recognized a need for a charging device to enable the M-Ubuntu mobile learning initiative to be replicated in rural schools where there is no ready access to electricity for recharging. The team conceived the idea to develop a solar energy science kit that would allow students to learn about the potential for solar energy. Participation in the Sonlig project allows each learner to build a functioning system that recharges their mobile learning device and provide light. The light was added to the sonlig charger to provide a clean source of light for studying and to reduce the harmful affects that kerosene and paraffin light sources have on a family’s health.

Strategy:Throughout project development the project team uses the design thinking process to rapidly prototype ideas and iterate the project based on feedback. Currently the team is focusing on an introductory curriculum, product development, and a student assembly pilot. Feedback from each phase will inform development of the project as we move toward our second residency in Geneva, Switzerland July 2012.

FIVE PROJECT QUESTIONS Required (60 - 90 minutes)

1. What is your innovation?

Our innovation is the creation of a low cost solar charging science kit that can be manufactured by students living in energy poverty to provide them with their own source of electricity. This allows them to recharge a mobile learning device (recycled cell phone) and operate a light for reading and studying at night.

2. Who gains the most?

Students living in energy poverty who have no means to accessing 21st century technology would gain the skills that are required to assemble and repair a solar charging unit that is provided through the Sonlig project. They would be able to use the LED light that is part of the solar charger as an alternative to burning kerosene or other harmful fuels to help them study and perform other tasks at night.

3. Who pays?

We are committed to creating a non-profit organization to continue our project development. Our dream is to implement a training program and micro-entrepreneurship opportunities for students that would allow them to manufacture and service the solar energy systems. These systems can be donated to other students or sold to the community to provide a sustainable funding source for continued work. Effective partnerships along with donor support will be key to the ongoing success of our project.

4. What is your success?

12 months - product development and feedback from users integrated into design, pilot programs in select locations, students engaged in the process and excited about future potential. 3 years - students assembling their own solar charging devices, reducing dependence on fossil fuels for lighting, providing access to technology, project scale-able to multiple locations. 5 years - Over 1000 chargers built and being used by students in South Africa and plans in place to expand to other areas.

5. How will you do it?

Along with continued refinement of the sonlig solar energy science kit our project is focused on the following phases of development: Phase 1 Introduction curriculum for prerequisite skills and inquiry activities with the charger. Phase 2 Technical skills curriculum to support student assembly of sonlig solar energy systems. Phase 3 Assembly of the Sonlig Solar Charger and instructional components to support servicing the device in the future.