At a school in Chontales, Nicaragua, 53 students arrive daily to learn their lessons from their teacher Meylin Sandoval. But when it comes time to learn math, she turns on the television and DVD player so the children can take part in interactive sessions. She plugs in the stereo to help with their music lessons. And sometimes, she turns on music just so they can let loose and dance around the room. In the evening, after the sun goes down, the lights come on and adults come to the school for literacy classes.
 
In a country where less than 40 percent of rural areas are electrified, this remarkable story is made possible by solar panels installed by Tecnosol, a company that brings solar, wind, and other alternative power sources to rural areas of Nicaragua. In these areas, when the sun goes down, light is typically generated though dirty and unsafe kerosene lanterns or wood burning. Electric power, when it is available, is primarily generated by fossil fuels. Since 2004, solar installations such as the one in Chontales have displaced 3,913 metric tons of CO2eq.
 
Tecnosol’s work is aided by E+Co, a U.S.-based non-profit organization that supports clean energy enterprises in developing countries. E+Co has provided Tecnosol with $1.3 million in investment funds to enable the company to grow from a small start-up to a dynamic company with twelve offices and more than 20,000 solar panels installed.
 
Displacing kerosene lamps and wood fires has benefits beyond reducing carbon emissions. Kerosene, when burned, pollutes the air, and poses a fire. Moreover, as demonstrated at the school in Chontales, electricity can do more than just light rooms: it can power radios, televisions, refrigerators, and even internet terminals, improving education, access to medicine and food, and myriad other goods and services.