Published July 9, 2010

The Solar Electric Light Fund, which provides solar power and wireless communications to remote, impoverished areas of the world, is celebrating the success of a solar-powered computer lab at a tiny high school in South Africa.

The computer lab was set up at Zwelenqaba Senior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape province two years ago, and the first community computer courses were held in 2009.  The school has since markedly increased the number of students reaching their final year and has had the highest number of passing seniors in its area in 2009, according to Robert Freling, SELF's executive director.

Schoolchildren and community members can take courses in computer literacy, and students also are exposed to computers as part of their regular classwork. Solar electricity makes the computer lab possible in the remote area, where the solar and computer equipment have performed reliably.

SELF's partner in the project is eKhaya ICT, a commercial information-technology enterprise that focuses on the role of Internet access in the peaceful, democratic development of impoverished and marginalized rural areas.

The community also was chosen to be part of SolarWorld's Sun-TV project. Three solar-powered television sets have been installed by the solar module manufacturing company in public places in the community, which is not linked to a power grid.

The TV sets, which provide free programming, have allowed community members to watch the World Cup soccer tournament. They also will provide educational television programs.

"We are showing how our technology is a cost-effective tool to help improve everyday life, encourage training and promote education, especially AIDS education," says Frank H. Asbeck, chief executive of SolarWorld, on the company's website. SolarWorld is based in Germany and operates solar manufacturing facilities in Oregon and California.

Mr. Freling, SELF's director, said in a message to his group's supporters, "The community has set their sights even higher, and talk is under way of bringing solar electricity into homes so families can continue to better themselves."

About one-fourth of the world's population, mostly in poorer rural regions, still does not have access to an electricity grid, and perhaps never will. Solar photovoltaic systems offer a means of delivering consistent electricity supplies to this "energy poor" population of about 1.6 billion.

Efforts are under way in parts of Africa, India, rural China and other places to install solar PV systems to help provide these communities access to electric lights, modern media and other electric equipment for the first time.