MUSCAT: Shell Development Oman launched its ‘Solar into Schools’ initiative on Wednesday at a ceremony held at the Um Al Fadhil School for Basic Education in Birkat Al Mouz, Nizwa. The ceremony was held under the patronage of Dr Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shaibaniyah, Minister of Education, and was attended by officials and dignitaries from Al Dakhiliyah Governorate as well as the school’s staff and students, and Shell’s management and staff.
The ‘Solar into Schools’ initiative is part of Shell’s ‘Gift to the Nation’ in which Shell committed to train small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and contract them to install solar systems into 22 schools across all governorates of the Sultanate in the coming few years.
The completed pilot schools include the Um Al Fadhil School in Nizwa, Sultan Qaboos School in Al Buraimi and Khawlah bint Al Hakeem School in Salalah. These three public schools are the nation’s first completely solar-powered educational facilities.
Each school’s solar installation should reduce its grid-supplied electricity demand by at least 150 megawatt hours per year, which is approximately equivalent to the energy needed to power hundreds of residential homes in Oman each year. In addition, each solar school will reduce around 100 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. To empower local businesses, Shell is contracting Omani SMEs to install the solar panels in the schools under this project. Dr Madiha bint Ahmed al Shaibaniyah, Minister of Education, said “The launch of the “Solar into Schools” initiative is part of the real partnership between the public and private sectors. This initiative is in line with the ministry’s continuous efforts to benefit from the technical solutions offered by private sector institutions to implement the Government’s visions in searching for alternatives for renewable energy to save our environment. Four schools have been launched in the governorates of Muscat, Buraimi, Dhofar and the Al Dakhiliyah, which we are celebrating today the launch of the project in it. In the coming year, the project will be launched in Al Batinah North and in Al Batinah South.”
“The ‘Gift to the Nation’ reflects the long-standing relationship Shell has with Oman. We hope that the full potential of the initiative is realised in the coming years and we look forward to further supporting sustainable and energy efficient initiatives in the Sultanate in the future”, said Chris Breeze, Shell’s Country Chairman in Oman.
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