А1 installed solar panels for seven Green Schools around Belarus

A1 completed installation of solar panels in seven educational institutions around Belarus. These are the awards for the winners of the contest Solar Energy for Green Schools for their successful presentation of eco and eco - social programs, activities and projects.

Educational institutions holding a special diploma Green Schools from all regions around the country participated in the contest. A1 awarded all seven finalists with a kit of special equipment for conversion of solar energy into electric and for illustration of solar activity to the schoolers.

“In 2020 our company focused on a new area of corporate social responsibility related to ecology and environmental protection. And we are happy that one of the first projects in this focus area is installation of solar panels for educational institutions around all Belarusian regions. Every day the schoolers will be able to watch renewable energy, learn where it comes from and what it can be used for”, - noted Nikolai Bredelev, head of A1 PR.

Today there are solar panels with a LED light connected to it installed at the National Rehabilitation Centre for Handicapped Children in Minsk, Kobrin Rayon Centre for Ecology, Tourism and Local History (Brest oblast), Secondary School №16 in Orsha (Vitebsk oblast), Utevskaya secondary school in Dobrushsky rayon (Gomel oblast), Smorgon Gymnasium (Grodno oblast), Borisov center for ecology and tourism (Minsk oblast) and secondary school №3 in Osypovichy (Mogilev oblast).

“Not only does this equipment help us to illustrate to our children how to utilize solar energy but also to significantly reduce electric energy consumption. Basically a LED light is much more effective than a usual one: it produces the same brightness but consumes almost 7 times less electricity – as if a 200 watt filament lamp is replaced with a 30 watt LED one. Moreover, we use natural energy instead of electric. And it also lasts long: 100% charged battery of the solar panel produces 8 hours of uninterrupted illumination. At that, the battery gets only 50% of discharge”, - commented Elena Shubaro, a consultant of the regional resource and support centre engaged in the project Green Schools for educational institutions in Minsk oblast.

A special time – delay switch automatically turns on the light when it gets dark and turns off with a daylight. It can be handled manually too. The lamp operates on the energy accumulated during the day, moreover, even on a cloudy day since the battery gets an extra charge on every sunny day.

The contest Solar Energy for Green Schools based on the results of which the winners were selected and awarded with the solar equipment was organized by A1 in summer 2020 in partnership with Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus and UN Development Program in Belarus. The project aims at raising awareness in the area of ecology among schoolers and adults all around Belarusian regions.