17 APRIL 2011 | KHOST, AFGHANISTAN

 

Shaikh Zayed University is located in the city of Khost in eastern Afghanistan.  Officially opened in 2008, the school has nine faculties and more than 3,000 students.  It is the only university in Afghanistan with a faculty in computer science.  Its journalism faculty operates a private radio station, and its medical students train at the government-run Khost Hospital.

 

This modern university is in an expansion phase and has several new buildings under construction, including a new medical research building and an agricultural research area complete with greenhouses.  It has also been expanding its power generation capabilities, recently adding a new diesel generator to its system.

 

While analyzing its power needs, the university looked into installing solar streetlights for campus walkways, roads, and periphery walls.  Solar lighting would reduce the school’s need for diesel fuel, with its attendant cost and pollution.  The university found support for this idea from USAID.

 

USAID contracted with Zularistan, an Afghan company specializing in solar energy projects, to install 78 standalone streetlights at strategic locations around the campus.  Each streetlight system comprises an encased LED lamp, a photovoltaic panel, a deep-cycle battery, a charge controller, and an 8.5-meter pole.  The streetlights are capable of providing light throughout the night.

 

Zularistan has warranted the streetlight systems for two years and, to ensure their sustainability over the long haul, has trained five technicians to operate and maintain them.

 

For students, the evening light has had a marked impact.  The past practice of shutting off generators at 9:00 p.m., left students in darkness.  Now they hold outdoor study groups at night under the streetlights.  “In the past, we used to study by candle or gas bottle light,” remarked Sher Shah, a university student.  “But now we can study at night in every part of the university that has a streetlight.”

 

Through its Afghan Clean Energy Project, USAID is committed to building the capacity of the Afghan government to provide its people with clean renewable energy to power their homes, schools, and businesses.