One of the main obstacles to the development of renewable energy is the intermittent availability of natural resources such as wind for wind and solar for solar. In Zambia, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) wants to support the development of alternatives to reduce the impact of the intermittency associated with clean energy production. The agency is awarding a grant to GreenCo Power Storage, a company based in Zambia.
The purpose of the funding is to study the feasibility of deploying large-scale electricity storage systems in Zambia. As part of its strategy, GreenCo has hired U.S.-based K&M Advisors to conduct the study with USTDA funding. “The study will also include an economic and financial analysis for the operation of the pilot project and portfolio, as well as a business and market analysis tailored to GreenCo’s business model, among other tasks,” USTDA says.
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The pilot project will be implemented in the Sesheke district. The system will store electricity generated by a solar photovoltaic plant. This storage facility will serve as a demonstrator for the development of 400 MWh of storage capacity throughout Zambia. According to GreenCo, the implementation of the pilot project is expected to create 600 jobs in the short term and 20 more in the long term.
More importantly, the development of battery storage is expected to catalyze renewable energy production and diversify Zambia’s electricity mix. This East African country relies on dams for 81.5% of its electricity production. However, with drought episodes multiplying in Eastern and Southern Africa, Zambia is facing a drop in the level of dams and therefore in the production of electricity during the dry season.
Jean Marie Takouleu