In October 2013 we were able to send more Kindles, Solar Panels, and USB Batteries provided by an innovative Danish company called Volt to the schools in Oyugis Kenya. In this post we have included photos of the headteacher demonstrating how to charge the battery using the solar panel and then the kindle using the battery. By using USB batteries we’ve been able to resolve a technical problem where the power provided by the panels wasn’t sufficient to charge kindles or other devices directly.

We really appreciate the support of Volt who have provided 6 batteries in October. These batteries have survived a wealth of concerts and are now helping the schools to recharge their kindles in Kenya, thousands of miles away.

I (Julian) first met one of the founders Trygve, at a large street concert in Copenhagen in May 2013. They provide an innovative service to concert goers in Europe who want to recharge their smartphones while at the concert or event. He provided one of their batteries so I could test it, and it’s one of the few I’ve found that works reliably. They’re surprisingly capable for such a small compact device. Their web site is getvolt.dk

On to the photos

We will monitor the effectiveness and reliability of the Volt batteries and Solar Panels (from another supplier). In parallel we’re testing larger capacity USB batteries so we can compare the results.