Originally published on Sustainnovate.
By Henry Lindon
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)
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Former Tesla Battery Expert Leading Lyten Into New Lithium-Sulfur Battery Era — Podcast:
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
