Feb 4 2014
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited ("Yingli Green Energy" or the "Company"), the world's largest vertically integrated photovoltaic ("PV") manufacturer, known as "Yingli Solar", today announced that the Company and SolarAid have lit up Mayukwayukwa High School in Kaoma, Zambia by installing a solar PV system on the newly built UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) School. Thanks to the contributions of the Company's partners including Atama Solar Energy, Kingspan Energy and Solar Roof Systems, the project was successfully completed.
Students gather outside one of the classrooms at Mayukwayukwa High School, Zambia. (PRNewsFoto/Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited)
In 2013, the Company and its partners had raised a total of 24,000 Euro for SolarAid using solar power to help foster education and development in Africa. The fundraising will support SolarAid's 'Lighter Learning' programme to improve the education of children in Africa by providing lighting for classrooms in 12 schools across Zambia.
UNHCR representative to Zambia, Laura Lo Castro, said in a statement that her organisation appreciated the solar lighting system and that it would help them meet the lighting needs at Mayukwayukwa High School. The construction of the high school started in September 2008 as UNHCR intends to provide education for refugee students who struggle to access day school because of the limited school places in the area. Thanks to the solar system installed, Mayukwayukwa High School is now able to light one of the school's large classrooms, the Headmaster's office and a dormitory, helping scholars with studying and providing security lighting at the same time. The solar system can also charge cellphones, saving the whole community from travelling long distances to find a charging point. The High School is located in the Mayukwayukwa Settlement, one of Africa's oldest refugee camps that was established in 1966 following the break-out of Angola's 27-year civil war, 300 km to the west of the capital city, Lusaka. About 15,500 refugees reside in the Mayukwayukwa camp at the moment and many of them know no other home, having been born in the camp.
"At UNHCR, we appreciate the donation made by Yingli Green Energy and their partners, through SolarAid. We are aware that this school will greatly benefit the refugees and the host community, thereby enhancing co-existence," said Ms Lo Castro.
"The solar system, donated by Yingli Solar and their partners through SolarAid, will meet the lighting needs at the school and will provide safe and clean electricity, bringing huge benefits to the 600 students between 14 and 19 years old who are in the school, as well as staff and the host community around. Yingli Solar together with their partners support SolarAid to fund specific schools in Africa to provide lighting and get study lights into the hands of teachers and pupils through school campaigns. The solar lighting lengthens learning hours, improves education quality and reduces dependence on expensive and toxic kerosene lamps," said Richard Turner, Chief Fundraiser at SolarAid.
"We are pleased to know that hundreds of students and teachers can now use the power of the sun to extend the time for study and other community activities," said Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy. "We are happy to support SolarAid's 'Lighter Learning' program together with our partners. Bringing clean safe light to communities in Africa helps create brighter and better futures for students and families currently living without electricity."
Only 9% of rural sub-Saharan residents in Africa have access to electricity and families can spend up to 25% of their income on toxic kerosene for lighting. SolarAid's goal is to eradicate the kerosene lamp from Africa by 2020 and get clean safe light into every home, improving the health, education and wealth of Africa's 110 million households currently living without access to electricity.
About Yingli Green Energy
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (NYSE: YGE), known as "Yingli Solar", is the world's largest photovoltaic module manufacturer in terms of production capacity and shipments. Yingli Green Energy's manufacturing covers the photovoltaic value chain from ingot casting and wafering through solar cell production and module assembly. Headquartered in Baoding, China, Yingli Green Energy has more than 20 regional subsidiaries and branch offices and has distributed more than 7,000 MW PV modules to customers worldwide. For more information please visit www.yinglisolar.com and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Weibo.
About SolarAid
SolarAid is a London-based international charity that believes in business-based solutions to poverty and climate change. SolarAid was founded in 2006 by the solar sector to explore and create clean, safe, affordable energy for all. In 2008, SolarAid created a social enterprise called SunnyMoney to run its on the ground operations in Africa. SunnyMoney uses an innovative distribution model to sell solar lights in rural off-grid communities currently dependent on costly, toxic kerosene for lighting. By building a sustainable market for solar products SolarAid and SunnyMoney aim to eradicate the kerosene lamp from Africa by 2020.
About Atama Solar Energy BV
Atama Solar Energy is a company with a strong focus on Solar Energy. Actively thinking, extending and realizing energy projects with a surplus value for a cleaner and healthier environment is our goal. Atama Solar Energy provides advice, delivers and installs Solar Panels, inverters, mounting-systems and all further components for the construction of your Solar Panel system.
About Kingspan Energy
Kingspan Group is the global leader in high performance insulation and building envelope solutions. Kingspan Insulated Panels, the biggest division of the Group, is the global leader in the design, development and delivery of advanced building envelope products and solutions. Kingspan Energy, a sub-division of Kingspan Insulated Panels is the first provider of fully-funded solar energy solutions for industrial and commercial buildings in the UK and Ireland, offering businesses low carbon energy generation with no upfront capital investment. Launched in 2013, Kingspan Energy offers a range of fully integrated rooftop solar photovoltaic solutions, combined with 25 year guarantees for the Kingspan roofs and PV systems, including free monitoring and maintenance. Kingspan Insulated Panels is widely recognised in the industry for the high quality and performance of its products as well as its commitment to excellent customer services and technical support.
About SolarRoof
SRS has the goal to make photovoltaic plants accessible for everybody. The company can look back on a history of more than 10 years when it comes to the PV business. The service portfolio of srs-solar roof systems GmbH (SRS) includes turn-key photovoltaic plants as well as the wholesale of photovoltaic modules and their components. Construction kits for PV plants and projects round off our portfolio. For end-customers this means they are offered a one-stop solution with only one contact person. In addition, professional roofing guaranteed. For our corporate clients we offer the convenient purchase of containers. Apart from our onsite bonded warehouse at Merkendorf, we can offer fast and secure delivery throughout Europe. Of course, we support customers with the design of roofs and inverters. As a vendor independent system provider we plan photovoltaic plants for indoor roofs as well as on roof systems. We hand the turn-key plants off to institutional and private investors.