Solarcentury to build solar plant in Kenya

Solarcentury, a British solar company, has built a 1 MW solar plant — one of the largest in East Africa — on a tea farm in Western Kenya.

Solarcentury has been selected as the lead solar system designer, supplier and construction contractor. The company will also operate and maintain the solar system, which is located at Williamson Tea Tea Farm’s Changoi Tea Farm in Kenya’s Bomet province.

The solar system will cut Williamson Tea’s energy costs by about 30 percent by delivering clean electricity during the day to meet most of the tea processing plant’s energy needs. This photovoltaic system will reduce the need for grid electricity and diesel consumption when additional energy resources are needed.

Solar farm to cut Williamson Tea electricity costs by 30%

During the normal operation of the national grid, the Williamson Tea solar farm will work in parallel with the grid and will reduce the amount of electricity consumed from the grid. When the grid fails, the solar power system will work in conjunction with the backup diesel generator, significantly reducing the amount of diesel fuel consumed.

Solarcentury CEO Frans van den Heuvel said the Williamson Tea solar farm is a prime example of energy opportunities for solar power in Africa and emerging markets, demonstrating that such systems will help meet the growing energy needs of emerging economies, adding that sustainable energy sources are becoming increasingly important, especially as the cost of energy from fossil fuels continues to rise globally.

Solarcentury is currently focusing on international solar projects and is excited to work with companies as progressive as Williamson Tea. By opting for solar power, Williamson Tea not only invested in the company’s sustainable future, but also provided jobs to local residents, improved the region’s environmental footprint and made a major contribution to the future of agricultural tea production in Kenya.

Local solar companies East African Solar and Azimuth Power are building the Williamson Tea solar farm. Solarcentury, which is expanding internationally, has implemented the project through its Nairobi subsidiary, led by Dan Davies, one of Solarcentury’s founders and the company’s East Africa director.



Source: aenergy.ru