Renewable

October 3 (Renewables Now) - US solar developer Renewvia Energy Corporation said today it now has two operational solar microgrid facilities on the Islands of Ndeda and Ringiti in Kenya’s Lake Victoria region.

Atlanta, Georgia-based Renewvia Energy has recently completed a 20-kW facility on Ringiti Island after commissioning a 10-kW solar and battery-powered plant on Ndeda Island in June 2018.

The new facilities, which are outfitted with the company’s mobile payment platform, will supply power to almost 10,000 residents and businesses that previously relied on kerosene, petrol and the use of disposable batteries.

“Within the first few weeks of turning on the power, we had several members from the community and business subscribers signing-up and pre-paying to be connected,” said Pam Onyanyo, director and head of Renewvia’s Kenya operations, adding that the firm expects to see exponential growth over the next twelve months. There are also several other such projects in the works, she noted.

Last year, the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) partnered with Renewvia to conduct a feasibility study for eight new microgrid plants totalling 1.5 MWp in remote regions across Kenya.