Aim is to power all schools with solar energy: Minister

The government is working towards powering every public school in the country with solar energy, Education Minister Dr Ismail Shafeeu said.

Speaking at a ceremony on Thursday to hand over the “Cool School” air-conditioning project to Fenaka Corporation, Minister Shafeeu said the initiative is part of the government’s push for sustainable, green energy.

“There are currently 217 government schools in the Maldives. Some already use solar power partially, but our goal is for all of them to run entirely on solar electricity,” he said.

Preparations are underway to install air conditioning in more than 3,700 classrooms under the first phase of the Cool School project. The move is expected to significantly increase energy consumption and costs, with electricity expenditure projected to rise by 38 percent, Minsiter Shafeeu said.

“To address this sustainably, and in line with the government’s green energy policy, we’re not just powering the AC units with solar but aiming for 100 percent of each school’s electricity needs to come from solar energy,” he said.

Solar panels have already been installed in 53 schools, with the Environment Ministry expanding installations across more schools across Maldives.

The Cool School project, launched last year, is intended to be completed within two years, with air-conditioning scheduled to be installed before the start of the next academic year in January. About 30 percent of the project’s energy demand will be met through renewable sources, Minister Shafeeu earlier said.