At the beginning of every school day the students of Pulo Elementary gather on the front lawn for morning exercises. They dance to music from a sound system that is powered by solar energy. Solar power has brought light, ventilation, and multimedia to this island school that previously had no electricity.

Pulo, lies within Taal Lake, home to the active Taal Volcano. Because of its unique geography, Pulo Island is not connected to the national electricity grid. The teachers and students at Pulo Elementary have always tried their best without electricity. Teachers only wrote on the chalkboard when daylight was strong and students used paper fans to keep cool during hot weather.

The arrival of a solar panel has greatly impacted the school because each classroom now has a light and an electric fan. The solar panel’s batteries store enough energy to power the school for three full days. This is especially valuable during the rainy season, the months of June through September, when steady rains prevent a great amount of sunlight from hitting the solar panel.

The students and teachers at Pulo Elementary are inspirational because they have invented innovative ways to use this new technology that change the way they learn, teach and play.