SK Ecoplant Donates 'Solar Cow' to Over 1,000 African Children

SolarCow: Solar Power Supply Facility for Schools in Tanzania and Ethiopia with Limited Electricity Access

Tanzanian students smiling while holding Solar Milk.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] SK Ecoplant announced on the 20th that it has delivered donations accumulated from its employee carbon reduction program this year to 'Solar-Cow,' a solar power supply facility, to help African children who cannot attend school due to electricity problems.

Solar-Cow is a cow-shaped solar charging station developed in York. One Solar-Cow can charge 250 portable auxiliary batteries called Solar-Milk. In remote areas of Africa suffering from severe power shortages, about 20% of a monthly income is spent on purchasing electricity, so many children have to go to work or walk far to the city instead of attending school to charge their phones or buy kerosene. When Solar-Cow is installed at schools, children can take Solar-Milk, which can be used for daily power supply such as charging phones after classes, home. This encourages families to send their children to school, and children can attend classes during charging time.

Solar-Cow was recognized for contributing to energy supply and child education improvement in developing countries and was selected as one of TIME magazine's Top 100 Innovations in 2019. It was also awarded the 'Innovation Award in Sustainability, Eco-friendly Design, and Smart Energy' at CES 2022.

SK Ecoplant delivered a total of four Solar-Cows and 1,000 Solar-Milks to African children this year. Three Solar-Cows were distributed to students at schools in Umpenesini, Nasibugani, and Sungkubweni in Tanzania.

The fact that the purchase and installation costs of Solar-Cow were entirely raised directly by SK Ecoplant employees through the 'carbon reduction program' makes this even more meaningful. The carbon reduction program is an activity where SK Ecoplant employees voluntarily certify carbon reduction activities in their daily lives through an app. Activities such as using reusable containers, plogging, and low-carbon meals are certified in the app, automatically accumulating mileage points. The accumulated funds are converted into donations for delivering Solar-Cow.

Lee Sung-nyeo, SK Ecoplant's ESG Promotion Executive, said, "We plan to continue various social contribution activities through diverse ESG initiatives, including the carbon reduction program."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.