The Future Is Bright: Durban Pupils Learn all about Solar Energy

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Learners from Chesterville Secondary and Wiggins Secondary schools in Durban were introduced to solar energy experiments during a Solar Cell Workshop programme facilitated by a team of scientists from the Swansea University of Wales in the United Kingdom.

The event, held at Wiggins Secondary, featured an exciting programme which aimed to show senior secondary students how to build a dye sensitised solar cell (DSSC) to compare the output produced to light an LED (light-emitting diode) lamp by different coloured teas in natural light and in artificial light, and by a penny battery.

UKZN’s Dr Bice Martincigh approached the Science and Technology Education Centre (STEC) with the initiative, supported by Swansea University’s Professor Matthew Davies and his research lab team of Dr Rhys Charles, Dr James McGettrick, Dr Rodrigo Garcia Rodriguez, Ms Niamh Fagan, and Ms Laura Holt.

The experiment was spearheaded by Fagan whose sunny disposition captivated the learners. Fagan praised the inquisitive minds of the students, who had been involved in several outreach projects with STEC previously. The researchers were impressed with the quality of education of the Grade 10 and 11 learners as well as their ability to quickly grasp the experimental procedure.

The students did the DSSC and the penny battery experiments. The DSSC involved a simple protocol using Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide (FTO) glass electrodes coated with titanium dioxide dipped in a fruity tea to stain them. Once the glass was dyed, students constructed an FTO-substrate compound which was placed under illumination for later measurements of voltage and current. The penny battery saw students creating cells out of pennies to light an LED lamp. With just zinc washers, coins, tinfoil and LEDs, students could see how renewable energy can be applied in their classrooms.

The Swansea researchers often visit schools on outreach projects, although this event was their first interaction with South African schools. Programmes like these are in line with the vision of STEC at UKZN - that is to promote maths and science so students are exposed to all avenues of scientific inquiry.

Participants remarked on the benefits of the workshop and chatted with the scientists about what they could study further, the education prospects in the United Kingdom, and how South Africa could use solar energy in the future.

For many of the students, successful careers in science and the prospects of renewable energy are elusive. However, initiatives such as the Solar Cell workshop programme enable students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to build on their curriculum and meet professionals in careers some of them have only dreamed about.

Nelson Mandela once said: ‘‘It always seems impossible until it’s done!’’ So the youth just might be the key to South Africa’s bright future in renewable energy use.

•    More than 90% of South Africa’s energy production depends on coal¹.

1. Baker, L., 2011. Governing electricity in South Africa: wind, coal and power struggles. Governance of Clean Development Working Paper 15, 1-27.

Words: Survivor Gwala
Photograph: Supplied