The SEAS Rwanda Gashora Program at the University of Pennsylvania was established to help the Gashora Girls Academy explore the usage of solar energy and information communication technology. Many students from Penn have travelled to Rwanda to conduct field work and develop new means for sustainable energy. Our team set out to continue this purpose.
At the University of Pennsylvania, many students take the unlimited availability of electricity for granted. Students are accustomed to using their laptops and desktop computers in the libraries and buildings without having to worry about power outage. However, this is not the case for students at the Gashora Girls Academy in Rwanda. These students have to endure frequent power interruptions every day from their unreliable utility power source. The academy has two computer labs, the first of which contains servers, network equipment, and desktop computers whereas the second room contains laptop computers. Both rooms experience frequent power loss and a significant delay before the backup generator can activate. Power cuts can occur 10-20 times per day and losses can last up to 4 hours at worst.
Our plan is to specify a solution for a battery-backed, solar-supplemented power supply that would be connected to loads to provide backup power. The combined battery and solar capacity of the system should allow offline usage for at least 4 hours to cover their blackouts.
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