Schools and clinics which are not connected to electricity in Turkana and Kilifi counties are set to be powered by solar energy. This comes after the signing of a deal between UK-based Energy 4 Impact and the OVO Foundation to install solar energy systems in these facilities.
At least 20 solar power systems are expected to be installed in the off-grid facilities soon. “The selected institutions in these two counties are among the least likely to be connected to the grid. Therefore, decentralized off grid projects are the only suitable solutions to introduce the local people to electricity supplies.” A statement from Energy 4 Impact, which has an office in Nairobi said.
Powering homes and institutions
Thousands of homes and institutions do not have power.This is mostly due to a lack of transmission lines. For this reason, it has given rise to off-grid power stations run by expensive diesel generators, and lately solar power.
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Kenya has more than 300 days of sunshine per year. This is twice that of Germany, which is the global leader in solar energy production. Germany has a capacity of more than 40,000MW. In this case it makes solar energy Kenya’s low-hanging fruit.
In Kenya, solar power currently accounts for less than one per cent of its total power capacity. This is about 2,300 megawatts comprising of geothermal energy, hydropower and thermal power.
“We’re very excited to partner with OVO Foundation. The foundation’s support ensures that these schools and health clinics will soon be able to benefit from a reliable source of electricity,” said Energy 4 Impact Chief Executive Officer, Ben Good.
