Kenya’s first-ever floating solar power plant is set to be constructed in the rift valley region. The 69 kW power infrastructure will be commissioned for Rift Valleys Roses, a family-owned rose-growing company located near Lake Naivasha, on one of the flower farm’s water reservoirs using a floating substructure.
The floating solar power plant project will be undertaken by Technolectric, a provider of electrical power solutions for the Commercial and Industrial sectors in East Africa. It will comprise 216 solar panels and four solar inverters supplied by Solarwatt and Kaco New Energy, which are German-based PV panel suppliers and solar inverter manufacturers respectively.
Upon completion, the project is not only expected to lower the Rift Valleys Roses’ energy bills but also to save up to 68 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
The project is financed at a tune of over US$ 140 000 by Ecoligo GmbH, a German crowd investing company focused on commercial and industrial solar projects in emerging markets. This will be the second solar power project for the Rift Valleys Roses Company, financed by Ecoligo following last year’s 75 kWp solar power plant. In a statement, Ecoligo noted that it expects approximately 1628 kWh to be generated annually from every kilowatt installed.
This project is in line with the Kenyan government’s aim to utilize sustainable sources of electricity, especially in rural areas.
The Kenyan Ministry of Energy with the financial support of the International Development Agency (IDA) has so far established an initiative, the Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project (KOSAP), whose objective is to provide electricity through solar off-grid to 1.3 million households in remote villages in 14 counties in the East African country. It is also expected to enable the installation of about 380 solar water pumping systems and 150,000 eco-friendly cookers.
