Solar Schools for Social Justice in Guatemala

During the first semester of 2025, Poder y Luz Maya implemented a solar energy system at the National Basic Institute (INEB), in the community of Lantecillo, San Miguel Uspantán Parish, El Quiché, directly benefiting 132 high school students and 90 university students from the San Carlos University of Guatemala in the Secondary Education Teaching career. This project is part of the strategic Solar Centers program, designed to improve access to basic services, digital education and strengthen community sustainability through ecotechnologies.

The community of Lantecillo, located in the rural area with limited access to the national power grid, now has clean and reliable energy for lighting, charging mobile devices, and operating electrical and electronic equipment used in educational and community activities.

Main results:

• 1 photovoltaic solar system installed at the INEB and USAC Educational Center.
• +200 high school and university students benefited BETWEEN young men and women. 
• Basic training for 10 members of the local solar commission (including women and youth) in operation and preventive maintenance of the system.
• Tripartite coordination between the community, educational authorities and MPL. NGOs to ensure the sustainability of the project.

Community impact:
 This project reduced the use of design-based electric generators, reduced CO2 emissions from the use of fossil fuels, improved health because students no longer inhale the smoke from the design, improved student consent by avoiding the noise produced by electric generators, improved nighttime safety, and expanded the possibilities for education and community organization. It also raised awareness about the use of clean technologies and narrowed the gap in digital education, strengthening local commitment to environmental justice.

Strategic alignment:
 This intervention responds directly to Strategic Objective 5 of the 2025–2030 Plan: "Raise awareness among communities in sustainable projects for health, the environment and the local economy, developing gender awareness and inclusion."

• Project_Report.pdf (PDF)
  

We proudly present our 2024 annual report which contains a grain of sand from each of your generous contributions to our Solar Center project. Without a doubt we are changing the lives of children, young people and adolescents in the educational stage in Guatemala who now have illuminated classrooms and a computer laboratory which has the purpose of reducing the digital education gap in isolated communities in our country; On the other hand, we are sure that with each Solar Center installed, we break the power of corruption, the lack of assistance, the lack of access to basic services such as safe water for consumption and electricity, the lack of safe and illuminated spaces to study, the lack of rural educational coverage, the lack of equality and inclusion and the lack of development in the communities of the last mile of Guatemala.

• Annual_Report_2024_MPL.pdf (PDF)