Case study - Centrosolar panels in Kenya
Approaches to managing energy in A country that has little industry and lacks access to healthcare or education. must be An activity which does not consume or destroy resources or the environment.. Centrosolar is a company that has managed to reduce When the access to energy is via other countries. in one Kenyan village through the use of A solar panel that turns sunlight into electricity..
Location
Kenya is a developing country located in east Africa. The country has high rates of poverty and over a million children have been orphaned due to Human Immunodeficiency Virus, a disease which damages cells in the immune system./Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome 鈥 a disease of the human immune system caused by infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).. SOS Children is a charity that works with children in Kenya. SOS Children's Villages provide homes for orphaned children. Five Children's Villages have been set up in Kenya, one of which is the Mombasa home in the south of the country.
What are Centrosolar panels?
Centrosolar is a German company. They make photovoltaic solar panels, over 60% of which are used outside of Germany. Centrosolar fitted 312 solar modules at the Mombasa SOS Children's Village in March 2011. The system has an energy output of 60 kilowatt peak (kWp), which provides enough electricity for the 130 children living at the site.
Successes
The Centrosolar project has had many successes:
- The Centrosolar project is the largest of its kind in east Africa. The panels provide enough electricity for the 130 students living in the village, plus an additional 500 local school students who visit the site.
- Any When there are extra crops and more than enough food to feed a population. energy generated is sold to a The network that connects all of the power stations in the country to make sure that everywhere has access to electricity., which helps to reduce costs at the site.
- The Centrosolar project is an example of Simple equipment and technology that the local people are able to use easily and without much cost.. The solar panels require very little maintenance and they are relatively cheap. Kenya is a very sunny country and so the solar panels will continue to generate clean electricity.
The Centrosolar project has been very successful, but it is only a small-scale solution. A larger national grid of solar panels could be the solution to energy insecurity in Kenya.