Microgrids For 100 Kenyan Villages

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Originally published on Sustainnovate.
By Henry Lindon

Enel Green Power Partnering With Powerhive To Bring Electrification To Rural Kenya

Enel Green Power, a 2015 Zayed Future Energy finalist, and the mini-grid technology provider Powerhive are partnering together to develop and operate solar-powered mini-grids in rural Kenya, according to recent reports.

The $12 million project will involve work in 100 different villages in Kenya — with 93% of the financing for the project coming via Enel Green Power, and 7% via Powerhive.

The Italian company noted that the project represents “a concrete effort in the off-grid business by integrating investment, sustainability, and innovation.”

Many of the new solar microgrids will be constructed in the western counties of Kisii and Nyamira — with total capacity in this region totaling around 1 megawatt (MW). The grids will reportedly give reliable access to grid electricity to up to 90,000 people in the region.

The CEO of Enel Green Power, Francesco Venturini, commented: “This country couples a low electrification rate, still in the range of 30%, with one of the highest mobile phone penetration rates of the region, thus making this union ideal to implement innovative solutions able to integrate the electrification of rural areas with generation from renewables, storage facilities as well as advanced billing systems.”

Image by William Warby (some rights reserved)


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