Largest Solar Battery In East Africa To Be Installed
The British company Solarcentury says it will install the largest storage battery for a solar power system in East Africa. Two solar power systems will be installed at Kenya’s International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, a scientific research institute located in Nairobi. A third solar power system will be built at the Thomas Odhiambo Campus, which is located in Western Kenya, and this site is where the energy storage will be built as well. The total capacity of the 3 solar systems is 1154 KW, and a car port component is part of the whole installation.
“Through this project, icipe’s goal is to create a sustainable energy supply and to reduce diesel fuel dependency by constructing solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants at its Duduville Campus headquarters in Kasarani, Nairobi, and at the icipe Thomas Odhiambo Campus on the shores of Lake Victoria,” said Dr Segenet Kelemu, the institute’s Director General. (The research facility was established in 1970 to help better manage insects and the diseases they spread, in order to reduce human suffering, to improve food security, and address a number of other focus areas.)
It is expected that work on the clean energy and storage system will begin in July of 2016 with completion in October of the same year. The cost will be about $2.5 million, and funding was provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Approximately 40% of the institute’s energy could be generated by the solar PV technology and battery system. Having storage capacity allows excess electricity to be saved for use at night or cloudy conditions when less solar power is available.
“Now we are bringing our world-class engineering expertise to develop three systems, including what we believe to be the largest battery storage system for solar in east Africa. The awarding of this contract means that Solarcentury will have built the three largest PV systems in Kenya,” explained Guy Lawrence, Director at Solarcentury in East Africa.
Image Credit: Mkimemia, Public Domain
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