SeConS Development Initiative Group actively participates in the “Sunny Schools in the Western Balkans” Initiative, which aims to create a blueprint for involving key social actors – such as state schools, local self-government units, and local communities – in the energy transition process by enhancing their capacities to manage the production of clean/renewable, in this case, solar energy, through photovoltaic technology.
By deploying this technology and installing solar panels on school rooftops, enough electricity can be produced to make the schools climate-resistant and energy-neutral. The money saved on electricity bills can be used to finance various school necessities.
SeConS is responsible for a research component implemented in 12 primary schools in the municipality of Valjevo (with six experimental and six control schools) in two stages – before and after installing solar panels on the rooftops of experimental schools, including educational activities with the school management, pupils, and parents. Both stages of research will involve 400 pupils, 100 teachers, and 300 parents.
The Initiative is supported and implemented by the Open Society Foundation in the Western Balkans and the Open Society Foundation in Serbia, and the educational component is realized by the Belgrade Open School. This Initiative has been ongoing for three years and, from 2023, has been implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo*, and Serbia.
