verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . january 2016 learn how and when to remove this template message empower playgrounds inc. motto lighting the world with recess formation march 2007 type nonprofit organization headquarters provo utah location united states ghana official language english key people ben markham founder president website http www.empowerplaygrounds.org empower playgrounds inc. is a u.s. based 501 c 3 public charity that has developed electricity generating playground equipment for use in rural third world communities with low rates of rural electrification . 1 the charity works in predominantly subsistence agriculture communities where children often work on family farms until sundown and schools and homes are not equipped with electricity making it difficult for children to do homework or develop study habits . contents 1 history 2 products and services 2.1 education 3 references 4 additional sources 5 external links history edit epi was founded in 2007 by retired chemical engineer and vice president of engineering at exxonmobil research and engineering ben markham . 2 3 while living in ghana markham had observed the darkness of rural homes and school classrooms and a scarcity of play equipment in schoolyards . 4 with help from brigham young university playground equipment that generates electricity from children s play was created . 4 the concept was field tested and improved in ghana in 2008 . kweku anno converted the design to use locally available materials . after school selection involving epi social scientists and the ghanaian ministry of education anno engineering manufactured and installed the systems . citation needed initially epi hand modified led camping lanterns so they could be recharged by the epi system . in 2009 energizer became a sponsor for epi donating development of led lanterns specifically designed for the epi service . 5 the lantern has a computer chip that manages the charging of the custom battery pack and the operation of the led lights which provides lighting equivalent to a 25 watt incandescent light bulb for over 40 hours per charge . 3 the lights have an expected service life greater than five years . citation needed in 2009 2010 epi began including science kits with its playground equipment . citation needed as of june 2015 update epi power generating play equipment was installed at 42 rural schools . 6 7 products and services edit children at recess in ghana on playworld systems inc. mgr . the epi system currently includes a power generating merry go round attached to a generation train with a hub bearing . a drive shaft from the hub connects to a helical gearbox which turns a shaft which then turns a magnet windmill generator . citation needed the electricity generated by the merry go round and all other play equipment in the epi system is converted to direct current and used to charge a battery . a thirty watt solar panel is also connect to the power enclosure to prevent battery discharging during school breaks . the panel provides about 20 % of the total system energy when school is in session . citation needed children in ghana study with epi lanterns . education edit without much access to government provided electricity or school supplies the teaching of science within rural villages is often abstract or theoretical . this makes it difficult for children to learn basic concepts as foundations of further learning . citation needed in 2009 an epi intern traveled to ghana for three months to meet with the ghanaian ministry of education elementary education developers and the students and teachers of rural villages to assess which needs were not being met . it was decided that epi playground equipment could work for teaching general mechanics physics energy transfer and other basic principles of science for instance demonstrating the conversion of power to electricity . 8 in the spring of 2010 two more interns from epi traveled to ghana to test the science kits and train teachers to use them . 9 the average cost of an epi system which includes school selection manufacturing costs shipping fees science lab teacher training and installation is 10 000 . 3 in mid 2010 epi began a scholarship program for promising young children who attend epi sponsored rural schools and who have benefited from the epi equipment . with the help of this scholarship one student from rural ghana is now attending high school an opportunity not available otherwise . citation needed references edit alliance for rural electrification . alliance for rural electrification why renewables . ruralelec.org . retrieved 2016 01 20 . byu and empower playgrounds install electricity generating merry go round in ghana . a b c a merry go round that turns the power of play into electricity . co.design . 25 september 2013 . a b diana douglas 6 feb 2008 . merry go round gives light to ghana . universe . brigham young university . archived from the original on 2011 10 03 . energizer and empower playgrounds light africa together . empower playgrounds newsletter . 12 march 2010 . archived from the original on 2011 08 15 . electricity thanks to a merry go round . usa today . 25 june 2015 . swings and roundabouts powering rural ghana through play . yahoo news . 11 march 2015 . samantha strong 15 august 2008 . non profit uses merry go round to light schools . the statesman . archived from the original on 2010 02 12 . three provo charities with a worldwide focus . the daily universe . 13 november 2014 . additional sources edit byu full video documentary daily herald article 7 january 2010 deseret news video article 19 june 2008 byu mechanical engineering capstone project page external links edit empower playgrounds official website v t e city of provo attractions byu arboretum bean museum carillon tower harris fine arts center lavell edwards stadium marriott center miller field museum of art museum of paleontology museum of peoples and cultures smith fieldhouse events festival latinoamericano freedom festival stadium of fire sunfall festival utah valley marathon other covey center for the arts lds temples city center provo peaks ice arena shops at riverwoods sundance resort utah lake state park utah starzz utah valley convention center velour live music gallery historic locations houses alexander allen carriage beebe booth brown clark taylor cluff davies eggertsen frisby hines mansion johnson hansen knight knight allen knight mangum loose ray roberts smith smoot g. taylor t.n. taylor twelves wentz other historic districts downtown east central fort utah hotel roberts knight block lds lakeview tithing office tabernacle third ward chapel lewis terrace maeser school olmsted station powerhouse provo canyon guard quarters provo city library silver row startup candy factory utah state hospital rec . center superintendent s residence west co op industry & business action target agel enterprises alpine air express aquaveo bluehost combustion resources empower playgrounds morinda new play project north american arms novell nu skin qualtrics vivint geography bridal veil falls provo canyon provo river uinta wasatch cache national forest utah lake y mountain education brigham young university provo school district independence hs provo hs timpview hs rocky mountain university of health professions healthcare & research utah valley regional medical center utah state hospital media newspapers daily herald the universe television byutv byu television international kbyu kupx kuth k43jv 3abn am radio keyy kovo ksrr fm radio kbyu kenz kxrk transportation interstate 15 provo airport provo station amtrak frontrunner the ryde u.s. routes us 89 us 189 utah state routes ut 114 ut 265 utah transit authority other community action services and food bank google fiber missionary training center utah county wasatch front retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title empower playgrounds & oldid 734650261 categories companies based in provo utahamerican companies established in 20072007 establishments in utahplayground equipmentcharities based in utahdevelopment charities based in the united statesforeign charities operating in ghanahidden categories articles needing additional references from january 2016all articles needing additional referencesall articles with unsourced statementsarticles with unsourced statements from january 2016articles containing potentially dated statements from june 2015all articles containing potentially dated statements navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated 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