Solar into Schools
Solar into Schools project was announced under Shell’s 5th Gift to The Nation in 2015. This project involves the use of solar power for domestic consumption at public schools using the opportunity to install solar photovoltaic technology and instill entrepreneurship knowledge into secondary schools, and executing the project through Oman SMEs.
Solar into Schools | Shell Development Oman
Title: Shell SIS_ ENGLISH
Duration: 3:52 minutes
Description:
A film that presents Shell Development Oman’s “gift to the nation”; helping power 22 schools across Oman.
Film 3:52 transcript
[Background music plays]
Light instrumental music.
[Video footage]
Footage of a young student as he prepares for school.
[subtitles]
There are many things that 20 years ago didn’t exist.
We can now carry one device …
… in our pockets that can do it all.
It’s thanks to people who saw things differently.
Took a stand and did something about it.
[Video footage]
Footage of the student boarding the bus with his friends.
[subtitles]
As an Energy Company, Shell is committed to an alternative future …
… and we believe in your potential.
You represent one in every three people in Oman.
You are taking over.
We think you might be the next one …
… to come up with a bright idea.
So we want to start a conversation with you …
… about how you can make the future.
[Video footage]
The students arrive at school along with a Shell employee who explores the energy uses of the school.
[subtitles]
And where better to start a conversation …
… than where you engage every day?
The very place where big ideas often take root.
It’s by looking at our everyday world from a different perspective …
… that we can often find the answers to big problems we want to solve.
We wanted to help power your imagination …
… and become an everyday reminder that ideas can make a difference.
[Video footage]
Footage of the shell employee walking into Shell Develop Oman Head Quarters.
[subtitles]
Now our natural space is energy …
… and we had a lot of experience to draw from.
But we wanted to do something out of the box.
So instead of looking below the ground …
… we turned our attention to the sky.
[Video footage]
Footage of the shell employee now back at HQ with his team as they brainstorm a solution.
[subtitles]
Now our natural space is energy …
… and we had a lot of experience to draw from.
But we wanted to do something out of the box.
So instead of looking below the ground …
… we turned our attention to the sky.
That’s when we realised …
… that by bringing the idea of the sun and your school together …
… that we were on to something.
We proposed we could pull the plug …
… not on school itself …
… but on its current reliance for electricity supply.
[Video footage]
Footage of engineers working to install the solar panels on the school roof.
[subtitles]
You may be thinking, that’s all good …
… and is certainly easy for a leading energy company such as Shell.
But it doesn’t take being big to make a big difference.
It just takes looking at the world from a different perspective.
[Video footage]
Footage of the school students looking at a display area cutting to an aerial of the top of the school and the Shell logo graphic.
[END FILM]

Solar into Schools initiative, in collaboration with Ministry of Education, covered three pilot schools in Salalah, Nizwa and Al Buraimi thus far. It will be extended over the coming few years to cover a total of 22 public schools across Oman. This initiative comes in line with Shell’s ongoing commitment to foster the development of the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector and to promote energy transition and sutainability within Oman. By implementing this project, we aim at:
Fostering the growth of the SME sector by empowering local SMEs with the knowledge they need and with the business opportunities the project will provide
Boosting interest among Omani youth in STEM educational streams and in enterprise development.
Building a platform for developing and implementing small-scale projects in Oman in the future, thereby contributing to Oman’s future energy scene and its economic transition.
Why solar in Oman?
Given the strong regular sunshine and the vast unused land to develop large solar power plants, Oman has an excellent potential for solar energy development and deployment. Solar energy is a feasible option in Oman and could not only meet the growing need for energy diversification but also would contribute to the national economic diversification journey.
Solar into Schools Journey
- Gift to The Nation Launch – January 2016
- Solar PV Training – June 2016
- Launching the first solar school – September 2017
- Solar PV Training – October 2017
For further enquiries: OmanSolarSchools@shell.com
Useful Links
Shell Intilaaqah – Oman
Authority for Electricity Regulation - Oman (AER)
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