Solar powered micro-grids to be installed in Kenyan villages

Enel Green Power and the mini-grid technology provider Powerhive have announced a partnership to develop and operate solar-powered mini-grids in rural Kenya.

The project will cover 100 villages across the country and will cost an estimated US$12 million with 93 per cent of the financing being provided by Enel Green Power, and 7 per cent by Powerhive.

Italian company Enel said that the project demonstrates “a concrete effort in the off-grid business by integrating investment, sustainability, and innovation.”

Many of the new solar powered micro-grids will be installed in Kisii and Nyamira counties in western Kenya— with the total capacity in this region totalling around 1 megawatt.

According to estimates, the new grids will provide reliable access to electricity for up to 90,000 people in the region.

Francesco Venturini, the CEO of Enel Green Power, said: “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.”