6月17日的世界盃足球賽，烏拉圭隊以3-0戰勝南非國家隊。在過去18年間，從沒有地主隊在第一輪比賽就敗北而未能晉級16強的例子。但是，對於約翰尼斯堡附近的傑里科村居民而言，他們藉著綠色和平組織以及當地青年所建置的太陽能設備，而能夠觀看這場比賽，是個有趣的事例。
不僅設置於傑里科社區活動中心的大螢幕，而是整組設備都由太陽能電板及發電機供電，這些是由綠色和平組織所培訓的學童裝設起來的。非洲綠色和平組織發起這項「 Thangkollo ya Solar (Solar Kick Off)」太陽能計畫，證明再生能源在南非的潛力。
非洲綠色平組織氣候專員梅菲里說，「傑里科計畫顯現的是，南非要改善自身的處境，並不需要倚賴過時的能源...這個國家擁有的太陽能及風力等再生能源，是全世界最好的；我們希望，南非能善用得天獨厚的再生資源。」
17日當天也是南非第34屆青年節，梅菲里說，「在第一次於非洲土地上舉辦的世足賽期間，南非第一次啟用了在完全使用太陽能的公共放映系統。」
南非青年節為正式節日，是為了榮耀34年爭取改正歷史課程而犧牲的數百名學童──1976年6月16日，蘇為托地區(Soweto)學生為了反對使用南非荷語（Afrikaans language ）當作黑人學校的教學語言而進行和平示威。他們在奧蘭多遭到種族隔離安全部隊的槍擊，兒童死亡引發騷動，並很快蔓延全國。這件事使得種族隔離政府侵犯人權的狀況推上世界議題。
傑里科的太陽能螢幕，是綠色和平組織「能源革新運動」（Energy Revolution campaign）的實踐實例，該運動的關鍵是投資在那些可以安裝並維護再生能源設備和社區和能源。根據綠色和平早先公佈的能源革新報告，內容提供詳細的的減少碳排計畫，並以再生能源和效率能源取代石化燃料來實現經濟成長。逐步淘汰石化燃料的好處，包括能源安全、不受世界上燃料市場價格控制，以及創造數以百萬計的嶄新綠色就業機會。 在傑里科參加太陽能工作坊的社區記者阿莫斯（Amos Nkotsi）說：「如果不是因為綠色和平組織和太陽能，我們就錯過這場世界盃了。」 一位觀眾在看完比賽之後說，「我覺得連太陽能很酷！」
綠色和平組織認為，如果政府藉由投資再生能源以及類似傑里科太陽能的計畫，不只能降低碳排放，還可能在2030年之前創造7.8萬個直接的再生能源就業機會。綠色和平指出，如果非洲其他國家的政府也投資於綠色未來，到2030年，可以創造180萬綠領工作。到2050年，在非洲將有超過3/4的電力來自再生能源。
In World Cup soccer Wednesday, Uruguay won 3-0 over South Africa's beloved Bafana Bafana team, imperiling the hosts' chances of advancing to the second round. No host nation in the past 18 World Cups has been eliminated in the first round, a prospect that South Africa now faces.
But for the residents of Jericho, a village near Johannesburg, Wednesday's match was a win-win situation. They viewed the game at a new solar-powered public viewing area equipped by Greenpeace and constructed by local youth.
Jericho residents install solar panels on the community hall roof. (Photo courtesy Greenpeace Africa)
A large-screen TV powered by the Sun was placed in the Jericho community hall. The entire set up is powered by solar panels and generators erected by schoolchildren, who were trained by Greenpeace for the task.
Greenpeace Africa kicked off this Thangkollo ya Solar (Solar Kick Off) project to demonstrate the potential of renewable energy sources in South Africa.
"What the Jericho project shows is that South Africa doesn't have to rely on outdated methods to literally empower its people. The country has some of the best renewable energy sources in the world in the form of sun and wind," said Nkopane Maphiri, Greenpeace Africa's climate campaigner.
"We want to make sure that South Africa doesn't commit a home goal by not taking advantage of its renewable energy resources," said Maphiri.
On Wednesday South Africa celebrated Youth Day, marking 34 years of youth activism, said Maphiri, "so it's during the first ever World Cup soccer on African soil and at the first ever totally solar powered public viewing area in South Africa."
Youth Day, an official South African public holiday, honors the deaths of hundreds of schoolchildren who helped to change the course of the country's history. On June 16, 1976, starting in Soweto, schoolchildren went on a peaceful march against the use of the Afrikaans language as the medium of instruction in black schools.They were met by gunfire from the apartheid security forces in Orlando. Children died, sparking riots that soon spread across the country and placed the human rights violations of the apartheid government front and center on the world agenda.
Jericho residents enjoy the game without fear that the electricity might go off. (Photo courtesy Greenpeace Africa)
"It's because of these numerous aspects that Greenpeace aligns itself with the youth and old people of Jericho some of whom were present during the activism days against apartheid," Maphiri said.
Jericho's solar viewing screens are an example of Greenpeace's Energy [R]evolution campaign in practice. A key area of the campaign is about investment in people and local communities who can install and maintain renewable energy sources.
The latest Energy [R]evolution report, published last week, provides a detailed plan for cutting carbon emissions while achieving economic growth by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The phase-out of fossil fuels offers benefits such as energy security, independence from world market fuel prices as well as the creation of millions of new green jobs.
"If it hadn't been for Greenpeace and solar power the football festival might just have by passed us by," said Amos Nkotsi, a community journalist who also took part in a solar workshop in Jericho.
One happy viewer said after the game, "I think solar rocks!"
The Solar Kick Off viewing area project was supported by Solar Generation, the Greenpeace Switzerland Youth Support Centre, and Umweltstiftung Greenpeace.
Greenpeace is campaigning on the belief that if the government embraces the Energy [R]evolution pathway by investing in renewable energy and encouraging projects such as the one in Jericho, it will reduce carbon emissions and could create 78,000 new direct jobs in the renewable energy industry by 2030.
Call to the dawn of solar power in Africa (Photo courtesy Greenpeace Africa
If other African governments also invest in a greener future, Greenpeace maintains, 1.8 million green collar jobs could be created by 2030. By 2050 over three-quarters of the electricity produced in Africa will come from renewable energy sources.
