Written by 
Necessity proved to be the mother of invention, as demonstrated by the Grade 12 STEM students from Bataraza National High School, who on November 20 installed their own handmade solar-powered charging station in their school, addressing power concerns during class hours.
The SolarCharge station was the brainchild of Althea Alexa Baysan, Cedrick Sagun, Karisz Iesha Navaro, and Laika Janine Pondales. SolarCharge was their project for their Empowerment Technology subject, under the guidance of their teacher, Blessie Villanueva.
The idea emerged after several blackouts disrupted their classes. Schools have increasingly relied on the use of televisions and technology for classroom discussions. As a result, personal cell phones were used as an alternative during power outages, which are common in Palawan.
While conceptualizing the project in the second week of October, Althea noted that some of their classmates’ phones would run out of charge during classes, prompting the group to think of a solution.
“Hindi po sila nakakasabay sa tinuturo ng teachers namin. So napag-usapan namin ng mga ka-grupo ko na charging station na lang kasi makakatulong siya, hindi lang para sa kapwa namin mag-aaral na hindi makapag-charge tuwing brownout, kundi sa bill din ng school. Pwede rin itong magamit in case of emergency,” Althea said.
Their project was supported by the Bataraza NHS staff, including Principal II Julhaber Lim, who approved the installation of the SolarCharge station in school buildings.
SolarCharge offered two ways of charging. While four outlets were free for any passersby to use, one universal outlet featured a fast-charge system that required paying ₱1 for 15 minutes of charging.
Cedrick recalled their excitement when classmates started using their EmTech project. “No’ng kakainstall po ‘yong station, parang na-cu-curious sila kung ano ba ‘yong thing na ‘yon at para saan. Kaya nag-ikot-ikot kami sa campus to promote and to inform na ready to use na ‘yong station. After no’n, may mga nag-try na not only our classmates kundi pati ibang students na rin, then may mga nag-feedback na gumagana talaga siya.”
SolarCharge cost only ₱7,000 in total, covering the solar panel, wires, controller, lithium battery, coin slot, outlets, metal paneling, as well as the labor of the students and a worker who helped install the station on school grounds.
While limited by its battery capacity and unable to serve the entire school population, SolarCharge remains more affordable than most alternatives. A solar power bank, purchased online, typically costs around ₱1,500 to ₱2,000 (for 40,000 milliamp-hours [mAh]), while a solar generator with multiple universal outlets retails for around ₱22,000 to ₱40,000 (for 61,000 mAh with one 12.6V outlet).
Karisz admitted that the cost, especially for what was essentially a classroom project, initially discouraged their group from proceeding. However, Teacher Blessie encouraged them to continue.
“Kahit marami po siyang ginagawa ay lagi niya binibigyan ng time ‘yong aming innovation, not just because requirement siya pero dahil ito’y makakatulong din talaga para sa aming kamag-aral,” she said, also expressing gratitude to those who sponsored and contributed to the project.
The group hopes to further promote the use of their SolarCharge station within their campus.