SLS-7b2 Solar Charging Stations in Gicaca, Kigali

We had been doing solar panel projects in Rwanda ever since we went there for the first time.  In 2013 we brought several small integrated brief-case size solar panel-battery-LED lights packs originally developed for use in Cambodia.  We deployed them for use at Center of Champions Primary School run by African Enterprise Rwanda in Rwamagana, a city an hour to the east of the capital Kigali.  In 2014 we installed two roof-top solar panel systems and associated computer networks, one for each of two primary schools in the remote mountains of Gikomero, an hour to the north of Kigali, where there is no electricity in the whole mountain.   In 2015, we installed a solar panel for each of dozens of houses, equipped each of the house with a car battery, and wired up the house with LED lighting and mobile phone chargers.   

In 2016 we had fine tuned our design and greatly expanded the solar power project.  AEE helped us select 4 areas in the Gicaca cell in Gikomero sector in Gazebo district of Kigali city, which is more than hour away from the city centre over very rough unpaved roads. Most of the 120 households to whom we will provide electrical power are off the road, and we had to hike up and down steep slopes to get to therm.  We installed a solar charging station in each of the 4 areas.  We put 12 20-watt solar panels on the roof of the house chosen as the charging station.  Each station can charge 5 batteries at the same time.  We wired up each of the 120 households with 4 LED lights and phone chargers, powered by a solar battery.  These households could then bring their batteries to the charging stations to be charged, and then take them home to power their LED lights and phone chargers.  This way 30 households can share the same set of solar panels efficiently, enabling us to provide as many households with electricity as possible.  For the first time in their lives, the villagers have electricity.  They don’t have to eat in the dark, and go to bed right after dinner.  They can meet neighbours for fellowship after dinner.  Their children can study at night.  The emotion that we felt witnessing their joy is very hard to describe.  Our students are visibly touched.  

We assembled the solar panel systems at the guest house where we stayed overnight. We brought the almost-completed assembled solar panels to the station, performed final assembly, and then proceeded to hoist them up on to the roof.  The solar panels were heavy.  We positioned a crew on the roof, a crew at the top of the ladders, and a crew at the foot of the ladders.  With coordinated movement, we managed to secure the solar panels on the roof quickly.  Our students then proceed to teach the local youths to wire up the station, install charge controllers, and install the LED lights.  It was exciting to see the system gradually coming into shape.   At the end, 120 household were equipped with electricity for lighting and phone charging, and a team of local youths acquired the technical skills to install and maintain the systems.  We wish to give them not just access to electricity.  We wish to help them acquire the knowledge and skills to do it themselves, and a better sense that there is more that they can do for themselves. 

The sun was so strong in Rwanda that even when upside down and facing away from the sun, the solar panels were generating enough electricity to light up a bunch of LEDs.  It would really be illogical if we do not make use of this powerful energy resource here in Rwanda.  From the charging station where the solar panels are, we flied a cable to another house roughly 30 meters away.  We hung the cable up a tree half way through so that it did not hang too low.  By now, the local youths were so familiar with the wiring that they could do most of the work, under guidance of my students, and sometimes even without any guidance.  Many of them had graduated from secondary school.  For a variety of reasons, they are not in university, perhaps most importantly, there are simply not enough places for all the youths.  Jobs are hard to find here.  Most of them help out on their family’s farm while doing odd jobs and looking for opportunities.  Hence they treasure the opportunity to learn about solar energy and electrical power systems.  

The solar panel project in Rwanda is one of the most satisfying projects that we have done.  We are able to make use of professional engineering knowledge and skills to address a very strong social need.  The project is challenging technically, organisationally, logistically, and in so many other aspects.  The benefits to the community is so visible, immediate and long term.  We get to learn about a complete different people and their culture on the opposite side of the world.  We get to see the aftermath of a horrible genocide and how the people work so hard, so positively to reconcile and move forward.  We get to see how a desperately poor people work so hard to clean up their country and build for the future.  We have the privilege and fortune to work with a great local partner who have been so successful in helping themselves.  We have developed such a trusting, long term relationship that we can bring more teams to tackle other issues.  We have become such great friends and learned so much about resilience, overcoming adversity, being positive and optimistic against all odds.  And I can go on and on.