Villagers in Lemolo B and Echareria in Nakuru County, Kenya, will benefit from a solar nano-grid (SONG) system, which provides energy for both commercial and household applications using upcycled laptop batteries. The system comprises a small network and solar-hub with a direct current (DC) inverterless power output of 3-5kWP, operating independently from a utility grid.
Each grid supports a small independent community of around 60 households, giving energy to around 300 people. With the development of micro-enterprises, the community can realise collective benefits, save money to extend their solar nano-grid systems and increase their energy consumption cleanly and sustainably.
Designed by Intasave, the model was initially supported by $600,000 of research and development funds provided by the UK Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) and the Department for International Development (DFID). First installations, including those in Lemolo B and Echareria in Kenya, were subsidised from $100,000 raised through crowdfunding.
The installations are the start of a major solar nano-grid initiative (SONG) that ultimately aims to impact over 450,000 people.
