SOLARBERRY
OUR OFF-GRID COMPUTER LAB POWERED BY SOLAR ENERGY

What is a SolarBerry?

A SolarBerry is a computer laboratory  housed in an upcycled shipping container powered by solar panels and using low-energy Raspberry Pi computers. We constructed our first SolarBerry in Malawi & it was handed over to the local community in Choma on June 22nd, 2018. The SolarBerry is intended for use by the local schools who will be able to offer Computer Studies as a subject for the first time and also by the community who will be able to access the IT resources. Any excess energy generated will be used by the local community to recharge small electrical devices such as mobile phones and lamps.

Learn more...

600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to electricity

In Malawi

  • 90% of those living in rural areas do not have electricity
  • 75% of primary schools do not have electricity
  • 32% of scondary schools do not have electricity
  • Only 4% of households have a computer, laptop or tablet
There is a clear correlation between electrification and completion of primary schooling. A  report by UNESCO Institute for Statistics in 2015 shows the integration of ICT in schools requires electricity that is regularly and readily available. That is where the solar power of the SolarBerry comes in.

Use of Computers in Education in Malawi

There is also significant difference in the percentage of students completing secondary education in Malawi in rural areas compared to those in urban areas. Data from UNICEF in 2015-16 showed that only 16% completed Lower Secondary School in rural areas compared to 51% in urban areas. 

Currently the rapid growth of the ICT sector benefits mainly urban communities. It is more expensive for governments to bring electricity and subsequently ICTs to rural off-grid areas. And so these, already poor communities, face being further marginalised from today’s digital world. 

Our partners in Malawi conducted a needs assessment of access to computers in schools in 2015 and found that:

  • None of the schools surveyed in rural areas had computers 
  • Of those schools that did have computers, the average was four computers for three hundred students.

Without ICT skills, students are not able to access tertiary education.

Design

The Turing Trust design team for the SolarBerry comprised 4 retired professionals who are members of Currie Balerno Rotary Club.

The design details were reviewed and confirmed by Buro Happold Engineering. This included a SolarBerry PV, Thermal and Structural Feasibility Study and the production of the 3D model you can see below.

Solar Berry by TuringTrust on Sketchfab
Copyright © 1976 – 2016 BuroHappold Engineering. All rights reserved

Design Features

Solar Panels
The SolarBerry is powered by solar panels as a more reliable and cost efficient energy source. The frame angle is optimized to provide the best energy supply throughout the year.

Raspberry Pi
The SolarBerry hosts 11 raspberry pi computers that demand only 4W of power yet provide all the necessary functions of a desktop computer, including access to a wide range of educational resources. They are connected to low energy monitors, using only 11W to ensure that there is enough energy stored at the end of the day to allow the community to use the SolarBerry in the evenings.

Shade Cloth
The shade cloth prevents direct sunlight heating up the SolarBerry container while allowing air to flow under drawing the warm air away from the inside.

Exterior
Highly reflective white paint helps to keep the temperature inside the SolarBerry at an acceptable level.

Construction

Our SolarBerry started its journey as a container in Edinburgh, transporting computers and accessories to Malawi. It arrived in Mzuzu in December 2016 and was initially used to store computers securely pending distribution to schools. Local contracts were made to provide materials and labour and then the real work began.

Steelworks
The first step in the construction was to make a frame for the main doors and then fit them. They have been designed so that the lower half opens down to form a ramp, whilst the upper doors open outwards. All are secured on the inside to provide maximum security for the valuable IT kit when not in use.

Joinery
The inside of the container was fitted with white boards supporting the 11 workstations, but also ensuring as much light as possible in the classroom.

Electricals
The next step to transform the SolarBerry into a computer laboratory was to fit the batteries and solar controller and wire up lights and sockets for each workstation.

Training

Training on Setting up Raspberry Pi Network
It is essential to equip the local team with the knowledge and skills to set up and run the Raspberry Pi network. Delivery of educational resources to the students and local community is dependent on a reliable network.

More information

If you would like more detail on the SolarBerry design or construction, we have made available an Information Pack to download (for non-commercial use only).

DOWNLOAD THE SOLARBERRY INFORMATION PACK

The SolarBerry in Choma

Our SolarBerry started its journey as a container in Edinburgh, transporting computers and accessories to Malawi. Initial construction work was done in Mzuzu and the SolarBerry made the journey to Choma in April 2018, where it was greeted with curiosity and great enthusiasm.

A team from the Turing Trust visited Malawi in June 2018 to work with the team from CEE to put the finishing touches to the SolarBerry in Choma. These included the shade cloth, fitting the solar panels, setting up the workstations and of course a final coat of paint.

The SolarBerry was handed over to the community in Choma on 22nd June, 2018. The formal ceremony demonstrated the commitment of all parties to ensure maximum benefit for the community from this innovative computer laboratory. The team highlighted some of the key aspects of the SolarBerry and the ways that it can benefit both the community and school pupils.

The SolarBerry is now being used by two local secondary schools and one primary school for teaching. The local community also uses the SolarBerry to watch videos and generates income by charging mobile phones from the surplus energy generated. 

The teams from the Turing Trust and CEE will continue to support the community as they make use of the SolarBerry. It is vital to harness the enthusiasm of all those involved in this project to ensure that the vision of supporting young people to gain the digital skills they need is realised. Our experience in setting up and running this pilot SolarBerry continues to inform other projects we are involved in using solar power to deliver access to computers in rural areas of Malawi.

Do you have any IT equipment to donate?

Please help us to give even more students access to a digitally enabled education. Find out more here.
GIVE COMPUTERS

Our work

Nyungwe Community Day Secondary School

Malawi

Our current focus is in Malawi, working with Computers for Enhanced Education (CEE) to provide technology-enabled education.

Volunteer refurbishes computer

UK

Our activities stem from our base in Edinburgh where we teach trainees how to refurbish IT equipment.

Student using a laptop at Otaakrom ICCES, Ghana

Rest of Africa

Since 2009 we have installed computers across the continent with a several partners organisations.