World Cup solar kickoff a hit
Giant screens powered by the sun make football accessible to the poor in Jericho.
It could be a great way to get as many poor Africans to watch World Cup football games LIVE.
You set up giant screens in communities where there is little or no electricity – and power everything with energy from the sun using solar panels.
In Africa people without televisions or electricity usually listen to football games using small battery operated radios.
I saw first-hand the powerful effect the big screen has on someone watching live football for the first time. I was in Jericho, an impoverished town about 150 km from Johannesburg. It’s impossible to describe to you how people felt watching the game. It was quite a sight.
Yes, using the sun as an alternative source of energy in Africa is still fairly new – but it could be the best way to go as a continent. We have plenty of sunshine – why not make more of an effort to use it more?
Great thing about it is that Fifa’s exclusion zones and rules don’t apply – you can eat, drink and sell whatever you like.