A sustainable project in environmental, economic and social terms. Since December 2020 an offgrid desalination plant, powered exclusively by FuturaSun photovoltaic modules, has been supplying the rural community of Varahdinha with drinking water and water for agricultural use.
The island of Boavista is one of the most desertified of all ten volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean, devoid of any sources of drinking water, battered by strong winds carrying sand from the Sahel and the Sahara, with limited precipitation and frequent draught periods that prevent the growth of lush vegetation.
Leveraging solar energy to power a desalination plant that supplies drinking water in such a desertified area has proven to be a winning combination. For the 63.36 kW photovoltaic field, 192 FuturaSun monocrystalline Next 330W high efficiency modules were used with a 15 year product warranty and 25 year performance warranty.
Fundamental performance characteristics flanked by excellent resistance, a highly appreciated quality in extreme conditions like those in Cape Verde. The Next 330W panels are certified for dust and sand resistance, in accordance with the international standard IEC 60068-2-68, guaranteeing superior performance levels for installations in the entire Sahara, Subsahara and Middle East areas, and are also certified for salt corrosion resistance, according to the IEC 61701 standard, which also characterises the hostile conditions of African coasts and the facing Atlantic islands.
The desalination plant is by the Italian start-up Genius Watter, which has developed and patented a solar energy powered, battery-free desalination system capable of supplying drinking water and water for agricultural use in remote, offgrid areas. The entire system is fitted with satellite connection to enable remote monitoring and manage the maintenance of any part in case of need.
For at least 30 years the installation in Varandihna on Boa Vista will supply around 75 mc/day of water resources, useful for satisfying the drinking and sanitary water needs of a rural community of 250 inhabitants and the irrigation needs of the local farming association, which will be able to double traditional crop yields.
An initiative in line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs – proposed by the United Nations for the next decade. The project makes its small contribution towards the achievement of goal 6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” and 7 “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”.
Alessandro Barin, CEO of FuturaSun ”We are proud to study and build panels which thanks to their technology can also be used in extreme conditions, so that they can support environmental, economic and social sustainability projects. At FuturaSun this is also how we anticipate tomorrow!”
