A clean energy mini grid powered by solar power has been opened on the Island of Fogo, Cabo Verde, as part of efforts to provide universal access to electricity to its inhabitants for the first time
The project has been implemented by the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) in partnership with the local AgroCoopCha cooperative. It received funding from the Cabo Verde Government, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and ECREE through the ECOWAS Special Intervention Fund (ESIF).
Officially unveiled in an inauguration ceremony attended by Ulisses Correia e Silva, the Prime Minister of Cabo Verde, and key officials from the participating partners, the project features installed solar capacity of 40kWp, a 150kWh battery energy storage system, a 50kVA generator, a 5 km underground electricity distribution network and a total of 210 planned connections. Primarily, the system will be used to electrify the local Chã das Caldeiras community which has around 800 members.
For ECOWAS, it marks yet another clean energy initiative that has been successfully delivered and implemented through ESIF and ECREEE. In the press release relating to the Cabo Verde project, the centre reiterated its commitment to expanding access to renewable energy, improving energy security and mitigating the impact of climate change through such initiatives. It added that further projects financed by ESIF will be inaugurated by ECREE in the coming months, including ones in Benin, Ghana and Senegal.
Solar mini grid inaugurated on Island of Fogo
The project has a total of 210 planned connections. (Image source: ECOWAS)
