Solar powered school dark at dawn

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Lack of maintenance of solar power system, broken standby generator leaves SK Long Bedian in a lurch

Dennis (right) inspecting the batteries of the solar energy system during a recent visit to SK Long Bedian.

Dennis (right) inspecting the batteries of the solar energy system during a recent visit to SK Long Bedian.

MIRI: In 2011 SK Long Bedian, a primary school in in Apoh Ulu Baram about 200km from here, became the first school in the country to be powered by solar energy.

However, the solar panel system and the batteries which store the power it generates have not been serviced since then and this neglect is affecting their efficiency.

Compounding the situation the back-up generator which kicks in when the solar power system is switched off has broken down since last year.

In an exclusive interview with thesundaypost yesterday, Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau who checked on the school last week lamented that the intermittent power supply to the school has been going on since May.

“The solar power usually goes off at about 3am. I was told that   the children normally would wake up at 5am to get ready for school and they had to depend on their torchlight to bathe and dress for school,” he said.

The kitchen hands too have problems whipping up breakfast for the school’s 457 boarding students as they also depend on torchlight or candles to cook, he added.

“The main source of electricity supply to the school is via a solar power system since five years ago (2011) and all this while has not been serviced.

“When it is hot and sunny, the solar (panels) can generate power to light up the entire school until the early hours of the day and then it goes dark,” Dennis said.

He added that many parents had come to him with complaints that their children had to use torch lights when getting out of bed at 5am.

Dennis said he was concerned over the safety of the children, as some of the 475 boarders were in primary one.

“I was also told that even after so many complaints and calls to the relevant authority to check  or repair, none has come to their rescue.”

He said the solar energy system should at least be serviced and the batteries be replaced with new ones while the generator should be repaired or replaced.

“We cannot afford to see our children in rural schools being deprived of their rights because these are basic necessities.”

Dennis called on the relevant authority to take immediate action to resolve the predicament the school is facing.

The school generator which has broken down for over a year.

The school generator which has broken down for over a year.