Contact: Pitsco Education
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Students Build Solar Electric Systems in Class that Replicate Solar Suitcases Deployed to Clinics and Schools in East Africa
Pitsco Education partners with We Care Solar to bring the Solar Suitcase Learning Kit to 6–12 classrooms nationwide
PITTSBURG, KS and BERKELEY, CA — September 21, 2026 — Pitsco Education, which serves more than 3 million students annually, and We Care Solar, which has improved millions of lives across energy-scarce regions, today announced a partnership to bring the Solar Suitcase Learning Kit to classrooms nationwide. Every kit purchased contributes to the deployment of a commercial-grade Solar Suitcase to a school or medical clinic in East Africa — where nearly 1 billion people still live without reliable electricity.
The Solar Suitcase Learning Kit ships with everything students need to assemble a fully functional 12-volt DC solar electric system: a solar panel, charge controller, wires, connectors, circuit breakers, switches, DC power receptacles, and a full-color illustrated assembly guide. The solar panel can fully charge the kit's battery in 6 hours of sunlight, providing 10 hours of light or enough power to charge three smartphones. The kit is designed to be disassembled and rebuilt year after year.
"The Solar Suitcase Learning Kit puts a working solar system in students' hands and ties it to a global mission," said Matt Frankenbery, CEO at Pitsco Education. "That's exactly the kind of learning we've built our programs around — real skills connected to something that genuinely matters."
Students who build the kit join what We Care Solar calls its Solar Solutionaries® movement. When deployment photos arrive showing their sponsored Solar Suitcase installed abroad, students are inspired by the real-world, positive impact on lives and their own understanding of how the system operates.
In building Solar Suitcase Learning Kits, students learn exactly how solar works in their own communities; they become solar literate and can explain the flow of energy through any solar electric system. When students see solar arrays on homes and businesses, in fields or even on their school, they make local solar connections. In addition to solarSTEM learning, they will also learn about careers in the clean energy industry right here at home in the US.
"They're not just learning how solar works — they're joining a movement," said Wendy Cross, Education Senior Director at We Care Solar. "Learning about solar electricity locally and thinking globally introduces them to the fastest growing energy solution of the future, and the next generation of Solar Solutionaries® is born."
A classroom of 10 assembled kits can also serve as an emergency backup power system, providing light and device charging during outages — a practical application school administrators can see immediately.
The Solar Suitcase Learning Kit is available now through Pitsco's online store at www.pitsco.com, alongside professional development and curriculum resources for grades 6–12.
About Pitsco Education
Pitsco Education has been delivering hands-on STEM learning to educators for more than 50 years. Serving over 3 million students annually across robotics, drones, computer science, engineering, and science for PreK–12. Learn more at www.pitsco.com.
About We Care Solar
We Care Solar is focused on advancing clean energy education and improving maternal health through solar electricity. Guided by the belief that light changes everything, the organization designs and delivers portable Solar Suitcase technology that provides reliable lighting for health facilities and inspires the next generation of Solar Solutionaries and clean energy leaders. Learn more at www.wecaresolar.org.
Media Contact:
Tori Edge · tedge@pitsco.com · 1800-835-0686