Instructor: Ms. Rose Mensah Kutin

Project: Solar Energy and its Impact on Individual Communities; Capacity Building

This project will require extensive research of energy systems, and most specifically, solar energy panels. The Ministry of Energy erected a solar energy panel roughly 2 years ago in Abantu. The student will examine the logic behind the solar panel's construction, implications of its use, and potential future developments aided by the energy efficiency. Besides monitoring the facility in order to assess the impact on energy use, the student will have the opportunity to explore the social and cultural dynamics as a consequence of a shifting environmental paradigm. Gender issues will also be applicable to the study of energy consumption and changing patterns of energy use.

Among several other questions, the student could explore the following:

• Why did the Ministry build the solar panel? How efficacious has it been in performing its function?
• How will solar energy help save money, time, power, and resources?
• What benefits stand behind the project for the ministry? For the greater community?
• What drawbacks exist for a community run on solar energy?
• What pressures are placed on family values? Gender issues? Social structure? Cultural diversity?
• Have there been outside factors that have significantly changed the course of the ministry's project?