The project to hybridise the diesel engines of the multifunctional platforms with the solar system (PHMD-PTFM) was launched on January 31 in Atakpamé, in the Plateaux region of Togo. It will ultimately improve the living conditions of rural populations while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The populations of several localities in Togo will soon be able to have access to electricity, day and night. At least 50 multifunctional platforms, 80% of which will be powered by solar energy, will soon be installed in Togo.
As part of the Hybridisation Project, the diesel engines of the multifunctional platforms will be coupled to solar equipment, consisting of photovoltaic solar panels, storage batteries and an electric motor. In short, a complete solar system (PHMD-PTFM), the first of which was launched on January 31, 2020 in Atakpamé, in the Plateaux region, more than 160 km from Lomé, by the government in collaboration with the West African Development Bank (BOAD). The combination of solar energy with diesel, which will be used by the Multipurpose Platforms (MFPs), will reduce dependence on diesel and thus enable the population to save money. Fifty villages are concerned by the extension of this hybridisation project throughout Togo.
The PHMD-PTFM is part of the third axis of the National Development Plan 5 (PND) and contributes to the government’s desire to ensure an energy transition towards cleaner and therefore more environmentally friendly energy sources.
Promotion and development of renewable energies
As part of this national plan, the technical capacities of some 100 national stakeholders, who will be responsible for planning and implementing renewable energy projects, will be strengthened. Greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced.
Also as part of this project, 50 solar pumping kits will be provided to the beneficiary communities of the PTFMs, for irrigation or drinking water supply. To ensure the maintenance of these installations, 300 members of the PTFM management committees will be trained in the maintenance of solar equipment and pumps. The project also plans to strengthen 100 rural micro-enterprises that will be developed during the project. At a total cost of approximately CFAF 2 billion (€3 million), the initiative is also supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The results of the PHMD-PTFM project are already visible in Bétoé
The hybridisation experiment began in 2017 on three multifunctional platforms, including the one in Bétoé, a village about 70 km from Atakpamé. It now houses an installation consisting of 40 photovoltaic panels with 8 batteries for electricity storage. The plant provides the people of this village with access to electricity and energy services. The implementation of the project to hybridise the diesel engines of the multifunctional platforms with solar systems is expected to be completed within 3 years in Togo.
Ines Magoum
