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The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi, Kenya, will be powered by three rooftop solar PV arrays totaling 1,154kWp. Solarcentury will undertake the installations while schedules completion in July 2016 and grid connection in October.
The solar project consists of three rooftop solar systems. Two of them will be built at the ICIPE Duduville Campus in Nairobi, while the rest one will be built at the ICIPE Thomas Odhiambo Campus, in western Kenya. The third solar array will be combined with an energy storage system. The ICIPE project is part of the ICIPE Greening Project, which is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The scheme encourage more use of renewable resources, energy saving initiatives and water conservation measures to reduce the Centre’s carbon footprint for a more eco-friendly operation.
Dr Segenet Kelemu, icipe Director General said, “Through this project, ICUPE’s goal is to create a sustainable energy supply and to reduce diesel fuel dependency by constructing solar PV power plants at its Duduville Campus headquarters in Kasarani, Nairobi, and at the icipe Thomas Odhiambo Campus on the shores of Lake Victoria.”
Solarcentury’s East Africa office, comprising a team of eight in Nairobi and supported by the head office in the UK, will offer design and EPC services for the systems plus a five-year O&M service contract.
The project involves in a US$2.5 million investment, marking it the largest solar development in Kenya to date. Solarcentury has built one of the largest solar farms in east Africa and a solar carport on the roof of a brand new Mall in Nairobi in the last two years. Solarcentury is also developing a large-scale battery storage system for solar in east Africa.
Guy Lawrence, Director at Solarcentury in East Africa said, “We are always keen to work with organizations who want to improve the sustainability of their operations, and we’re pleased to be able to help organisations save money too. ICIPE’s mission of safeguarding the environment aligns with our own mission to alleviate climate change.”