Photovoltaic news and pv jobs

Mali set for off-grid solar boost

Under its latest plans to electrify rural areas of developing countries, NGO FRES Netherlands, along with its Mali-based subsidiary, Yeelen Kura, will install six off-grid photovoltaic plants in the country in 2012, thus adding to the two systems it helped erect there in 2011.

In July 2011, FRES and Asantys Systems installed two of the largest off-grid photovoltaic systems on the African continent.

Asantys Systems

Five of the six plants will be 50 kilowatts (kW) in size, while the remaining one will be 100 kW. They will be located across six villages in Mali, and are expected to be operational by this June. As in 2008, two of the photovoltaic systems will replace diesel mini-grids. The equipment will come from European manufacturers.

FRES, the Foundation Rural Energy Services tells pv magazine, "In Sub Sahara Africa there is a high demand for rural electrification through decentralized systems as SHS or solar mini-grids since the government cannot supply electricity though the conventional net (high costs....). The governments invite us to perform this task for them."

Strategic

In July 2011, FRES, with the help of Asantys Systems, installed what they say are two of the largest off-grid photovoltaic systems on the African continent. Asantys, a German system integrator and EPC provider, installed both the 50 kWp and 150 kWp plants in Mali’s Ourikela and Kolondieba within a seven month time period.

A total of 867 Centrosolar 203 kWp photovoltaic modules were used, in addition to 825 batteries from Hoppecke and 55 of SMA’s inverters.

A Centrosolar spokesperson tells pv magazine, "Projects like the one in Mali and partnerships like the one with Asantys are for Centrosolar a strategic perspective to get experience on knowledge in off-grid and rural markets and with technologies apart from grid connection. The solar module is the most important component in such a system."

They add that the African continent is an important market for the company. To date, it has delivered over 2,000 photovoltaic modules to the market. "With new upcoming projects the number will increase."

The spokesperson could not, however, release any further specific project information.