Asantys Systems has developed containerized solar-storage solutions in Sierra Leone, featuring solar containers with capacities ranging from 30 kW to 130 kW. The containers include inverters from German manufacturer SMA and batteries from Hoppecke Batterien.
German system integrator GmbH has supplied 20 containerized solar power systems to US-owned, Nairobi-based mini-grid developer PowerGen.
PowerGen will use the systems for a series of projects in Sierra Leone under the Rural Renewable Energy Project (RREP) initiative. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) provided about €44 million ($48.5 million) of funding for the project, which will be overseen by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
The solar containers range in capacity from 30 kW to 130 kW and come with inverters from German manufacturer SMAand batteries from Hoppecke Batterien. Their combined capacity is 1.3 MW and their storage capacity is 5.76 MWh.
Asantys Systems said that the project will help provide universal electricity access for more than half a million people.
Sierra Leone had 9 MW of installed solar capacity at the end of 2022, which is more than double its recorded capacity from 2021, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
The World Bank has said that only 23% of people in Sierra Leone have access to electricity, which is below the Sub-Saharan average of 30%. This figure drops to less than 6% in rural areas, it noted.
