Solar Learning Labs

The Solar Learning Lab is a standard shipping container that has been converted into a classroom, equipped with solar panels and user stations featuring workstations and network technology from Dell Technologies. With the addition of outside space and laptops, each lab can offer up to 20 people at a time a wireless connection to learning materials. To provide a comfortable experience, each lab features high-quality furnishings and good insulation from the elements as well as a community space that can be used for training or as an Internet café. Some labs (such as the first lab in Mexico City) are set up as double labs, featuring two classrooms that share a single roof and provide a covered area for outdoor classes when weather permits. Double labs are often also equipped with Dell laptops for mobile learning.

Solar Learning Labs can be found in 6 countries, with new labs in development in several more:

• Mexico
• Colombia
• Morocco
• Kenya
• Ethiopia
• South Africa

Located in areas where access to information technology is scarce, each Solar Lab is a force for transformation and inclusion. Every lab is a place where young learners can develop 21st-century skills, with many labs offering learning resources in advanced technology. The exteriors of many labs are decorated with murals by local artists, marking them as a point of pride in their communities.

Increasing access to quality education is at the core of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Affordable, reliable access to technology has been shown to be highly correlated with wide-ranging benefits, especially in quality education, which is key to opening future job opportunities and escaping poverty. The Solar Learning Labs offer a cost-effective way to upgrade the learning experience for students and bolster teachers’ capabilities, with the added benefit of providing digital access to countless adults in surrounding communities.

Solar Labs embody all aspects of Dell’s Social Impact program, from using ecofriendly products and energy sources to providing economic opportunity to people through access to technology, with every lab supported by partnerships. The commitment to sustainability is seen in the use of reused shipping containers and solar energy, with minimal environmental impact compared to a typical brick-and-mortar schoolhouse. Lastly, Solar Labs provide a tangible target for the collective efforts of schools and businesses that want to support underserved students.

Each Solar Learning Lab is equipped with a classroom’s worth of Dell Technologies computers and networking gear, designed to run on a thin-client network with minimal power needs. These products were selected for durability, long life, and energy efficiency. When equipment breaks or is otherwise lost, replacement products are provided at no cost to the labs.

• 1 PowerEdge T430
• 1 Dell M900 projector
• 1 Windows Server 2012
• 12 Dell Wyse 5010 Thin Clients
• 12 Dell 19 monitors
• 1 Dell mobile projector
• 1 VMware Horizon View 

Many labs also feature software support from Microsoft Corp., which provides in-kind donations of licenses. To date, Microsoft has provided nearly $180,000 USD in Windows and Office software for computers in Solar Labs.