Tespack Smart Solar Media Solution
Close to 300M people are currently out of school, a situation which has been worsened by the pandemic. People living in remote areas have been left behind as they don't have access to learning opportunities, often due to lack of access to electricity. These remote areas are difficult to reach by transportation, making the work of teachers even more difficult.
Portable solutions are needed which can provide access to digital learning skills and tools. Solutions that can provide access to electricity for the teachers and communities in order to power electronic devices and provide access to audiovisual technologies and ICT tools.
With Tespack's SSM solution, any room can be turned into digital classroom having access to audiovisuals, for solar energy to create power and to charge all devices while with the software platform, teachers can access data on the level of teaching, energy created and have more safety and security.
Prior to Covid-19, close to 300M children were out of school. The pandemic worsened the education crisis, pushing the most vulnerable children further to the margins. A total of 1.5B people were forced out of school due to the pandemic. These disruptions have increased the inequalities along geographical, wealth and gender lines, not to mention those living in remote areas, the most vulnerable and marginalised, are suffering the most with no access to learning and studying.
In order to tackle the education crisis as the current system is not working, and in order to ensure that every child has access to digital tools and learning, we need to focus on new innovative ways. Innovation is the catalyst for change and new innovativative solutions in the education sector can ensure that we reach the SDGs in order to provide quality and inclusive education for everyone, regardless where they are based.
Portable solutions are needed which can provide access to digital learning skills and tools. Solutions that can provide access to electricity for the teachers and communities in order to power electronic devices and provide access to audiovisual technologies and ICT tools.
Tespack has created an all-in-one solution that combines hardware and software called SSM Solar Media System; to provide access to audio visual education and humanitarian assistance (emergency relief) in rural regions. Tespack’s SSM Solution incorporates modular power electronics (to charge equipment and be transported on airplanes), audiovisual technology (built-in projector and speakers), embedded electronics (to showcase lessons or training programmes), solar energy panels (for creating energy sustainably and efficiently), IoT software platform (for tracking all energy generation and equipment usage).
Our innovative patent pending system can count battery cycles (for recycling batteries), showcase statistics and to guarantee personnel safety with GPS tracking and live statistics of equipment usage.
With SSM, any room or place can be turned into a fully equipped classroom regardless of location or access to energy. Teachers and rescue workers can be provided a safer working environment and also receive support as they are connected in real time with their headquarters who can monitor their well-being by accessing the platform. This unit can provide up to date modern education.
Tespack SSM and software platform will provide better access to education for locals in rural areas as teachers and agency workers can educate and teach in any location with a solution that is simply plug and play and comes with all needed for teaching (uploaded in the memory of the product. This way we can reduce the number of people without access to education while providing local teachers the tools needed to teach in rural regions. In addition to this, we are creating better awareness towards sustainable energy and its benefits and can collect vital data to show how much energy can be saved and CO2 emissions reduced by focusing on using greener methods. The platform also tracks all products for better safe-keeping and support agencies in recycling by tracking the lifetime of each battery and supporting a circular economy through creating refurbished solutions from older batteries.
Education is of course one part of our solution. Rescue workers could provide faster and more efficient support and deploy when needed. Refugee camps could power parts of their schools and locations with our mobile solutions while different off-grid workers i.e environmental protectionists, forest rangers, doctors without borders, etc. could also have the vital energy needed to power their equipment while software keeps them safe.
We are directly supporting and providing access to education to the most marginalised, vulnerable groups living in remote locations. We began developing our Smart Solar Media solution by working together with one of the leading agencies, Plan International. We would go to the field and work in the most rural areas to truly understand the challenges and problems these agency workers were facing. And one of them were how to teach and provide access to learning for the people living in remote locations with no access to the grid.
Together with Plan International and with the local teachers, we began to develop our SSM solution and once the first version were developed, we would go back to the field to test and validate the solution, to gather new data and feedback and continue to improve the overall solution. This is how we developed the software platform as we realised on the field that providing safety and security for the teachers is as much important as providing access to digital learning tools. Our goal is to continue to work hand in hand with different agencies and teachers to continue to understand the needs of our customers and locals and thus to provide them the best solutions possible.
- Enable access to quality learning experiences in low-connectivity settings—including imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments.
Providing access to quality learning experiences in low-connectivity settings, i.e in rural regions, and by providing access to different educational content and tools, we need to focus on providing access to electricity and to portable tools as most of these regions cannot be reached by transportation, are lacking roads and basic infrastrucure.
Powering different mobile devices such as phones, laptops, projectors and speakers, we are opening up access to new digital tools. By utilising audiovisual technology, projectors for showcasing videos and visual materials, we are enabling access to quality learning with teachers having access to different educational content.
- Pilot: An organization deploying a tested product, service, or business model in at least one community.
We have developed the first versions of the SSM, the first hand made prototypes and we are now at TRL 6 phase after having finished first versions and done initial testing about the technology in the field together with our partner Plan International.
We have developed the first prototypes with the usage input and feedback from Plan International who is using the SSM in Africa in order to collect vital data from local children and to educate them in rural regions.
SSM solution has been tested in Ethiopia together with Plan workers and it performed well: a classroom of full students, around 50 students each day were able to be educated for 8 hours without no need for grid or electricity by using solar and our charging technology.
- A new technology
Our innovative software platform can track our SSM solution and provides extra safety and security through anti-theft and anti-kidnapping features. Teachers and organisations can create safety zones and receive alarms if someone goes outside this area. They can also control our power banks remotely and in case of theft, all products can be disabled remotely (as well as enabled).
With the platform, organisation can track how much energy was created from the sun and know how sustainable each project is and how much CO2 emissions have been saved by using solar. With 1 SSM, on average, an organisation can save 0.42tCO2 in one year. We are thus directly supporting the achievemen of SDGs.
With our patent-pending modular battery technology, we provide easier transportation for our solution as it can now be taken to anywhere (light to travel with). Thanks to modular battery tech, we can charge any mobile devices and provide different voltage options (unlike other solutions in the market).
With the platform, we can also track the lifetime and status of our batteries for easier technical maintenance and supporting circular economy as we know when to replace batteries.
Lastly, with our SSM any organisation can turn a space into a fully equipped classroom and drasticly cutting expenses (it takes close to $100 000 to build a school in remote areas in comparison with 1 SSM costing around $2000).
- Audiovisual Media
- GIS and Geospatial Technology
- Internet of Things
- Software and Mobile Applications
- Women & Girls
- Children & Adolescents
- Rural
- Poor
- Low-Income
- Refugees & Internally Displaced Persons
- Minorities & Previously Excluded Populations
- 4. Quality Education
- 5. Gender Equality
- 7. Affordable and Clean Energy
- 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
- 10. Reduced Inequality
- Ethiopia
- Finland
- Japan
- Nigeria
- Peru
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Colombia
- Indonesia
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Zimbabwe
SSM started as a solution for Plan International for their field workers and teachers to be able to power their mobile devices while collecting data on the field and carrying out educational activities such as training locals in rural areas. From there on, we have been in collaborating and securing new partners and customer such as Fingo in Finland (one of the largest development aid organisations), World Vision, UNHCR and Audi Environmental Foundation. Due to our partnerships and with the current projects we have, we are directly serving a total of 3000 people in rural regions with access to education (1 SSM solution is on average powering a school of 80 students)
By next year this time, we are expecting to serve a total number of 40 000 people in rural regions through our existing partnership and new partners we will secure during 2021.
In 5 years time, we have expanded to new regions and are collaboration with agencies, governmental organisations, ministries and also with consumers. We are expecting to serve a total of 400 000 people around the world in remote locations, by calculating that with 1 SSM solution, we are directly powering 80 people through access to workshops and trainings. We are also including in this number those teachers and agency workers who will benefit from our solutions. Now, calculating as well as the consumer sector, we are expecting to power close to 1M people around the world.
With 1 SSM solution, we can mitigate 0.45 tCO2 emissions in one year thus directly measuring the environmental impact we are making as all this data is collected on our platform. This data can then be shared among public and other stakeholders and we can show how much CO2 emissions we are reducing through using our solutions.
In addition to this, we can measure the impact through the amoung of communities, schools and households we are directly powering and providing access to education. We can measure the impact and how we are achieving SDG 4 by working closely with agencies and organisations and collecting data how many people in remote locations can have the opportunity to study and learn thanks to our solutions.
- For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Tespack team is formed by individuals from different backgrounds and talents, complementing each other and bringing the needed expertise and knowledge for the project. We have the speed, innovation and mindset of a startup but the institutional relationships of a big company.
We have been awarded by Forbes 30 Under 30, our team members work as the advisors for governments and other agencies, and as a company, we have won more than 30 international awards and acknowledgements,
We believe in diversity at all levels and we are proud to say that our team is formed by people from all backgrounds and talents. Our leadership is committed to diversity, inclusion and equity at all levels.
- Organizations (B2B)
Large amount of people are out of school and especially in the rural areas, do not have the same access to learning and studying as others. We believe that the key in order to provide access to digital tools and education, we also need to provide access to electricity. And this is what our Smart Solar Media Solution does. Our goal is to enable teachers in rural regions in having the needed access to educational content and tools so they can provide the best available teaching for people in remote areas.
If we get selected, our goal is to utilise the funding and support in order to bring our SSM solutions to the most rural regions in some parts of African region, in collaboration with our existing partner agencies and development organisations. We believe that access to education should be universal right and our goal is to support the achievement of SDG 4 in closing the gap on accessing education.
- Public Relations (e.g. branding/marketing strategy, social and global media)
- Product / Service Distribution (e.g. expanding client base)
We are looking for partners who can help us in expanding to new regions, in securing new customers and clients and expanding our distribution channels. We are looking for marketing and PR support in distributing the message about our innovative solution and in gathering more visibility. Lastly, we are looking for the funding support in realising our expansion goals.
We would love to partner with MIT who has the experts and advisors who could support us with technology review and development expansion plans we have for launching new technology solutions. In addition to this, with MITs support, we can expand our partner and clientele with the goal of getting in touch with some of the following organisations: Red Cross, UN agencies, US Aid.
- No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution
- Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
With our Smart Solar Media Solution, we can support refugee camps in having better access to education, in providing access to ICT skills and tools. As many refugee camps have lack of access to electricity, our SSM solution could also power part of the camp and devices used by the agency workers. We can this way support in the overall access to electricity in the camp which can bring more access to opportunities and create new safety and security in the region. Lastly, thanks to our audiovisual technology used as part of our SSM solution, people refugees could enjoy from better access in wathing movies and videos, in having more leisure activity opportunities.
- Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
Currently as a result of covid-19, many families and households are isolated at their homes with no access to education and for children and youth not having the opportunities to study. Not to mention many healthcare workers and humanitarian workers in rural areas are having challenges on how to disseminate information about covid-19 to all people in most excluded regions. With Tespack’s SMB, we can support their efforts for providing more efficient and easy information about covid-19 by using visual aids while reaching more people. This will also allow agency workers and personnel to carry out vital workshops and training of youth and most vulnerable people in off-grid regions this way providing better access to equal opportunities.
- Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
Utilising mobile, sustainable energy solutions in rural regions can provide the needed access for locals, especially for children and women, to continue studying and learning, even during the new social distancing challenges brought by COVID-19. By providing solutions that allow families and communities to have the needed energy to power lights, tablets, phones and radios among other devices, learning and studying can continue to take place. Healthcare workers, midwives and people working in rural regions, can also drastically increase their work capacity and efficiency as they can have the needed energy to power their devices.
With Tespack's SSM solution off-grid personnel can work more efficiently in rural regions and they can disseminate information faster and more easily as well as to organise workshops and training to people and communities in off-grid regions. In addition to this, with SSM solution, we can power and support healthcare workers and midwives in order for them to stay powered, to have the lights and access to tablets and phones, when helping women giving birth in rural regions. In general, to provide a safer environment for women giving birth.
- No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution
- Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
Utilising mobile, sustainable energy solutions in rural regions can provide the needed access for locals, especially for children and women, to continue studying and learning, even during the new social distancing challenges brought by COVID-19. By providing solutions that allow families and communities to have the needed energy to power lights, tablets, phones and radios among other devices, learning and studying can continue to take place. Healthcare workers, midwives and people working in rural regions, can also drastically increase their work capacity and efficiency as they can have the needed energy to power their devices.
With Tespack's SSM solution off-grid personnel can work more efficiently in rural regions and they can disseminate information faster and more easily as well as to organise workshops and training to people and communities in off-grid regions. In addition to this, with SSM solution, we can power and support healthcare workers and midwives in order for them to stay powered, to have the lights and access to tablets and phones, when helping women giving birth in rural regions. In general, to provide a safer environment for women giving birth.